The Shadow Song CCS v
by Mikazukino Hikari
Summary: Tomoyo runs away from home when her step brother tries to rape her. She finds herself at a mansion in the middle of a forest and is drawn into a world of magic where people are not who they seem and love may not be trusted... Chapter four now fixed!
1. The Boarding House

_(AN: I am just reposting this story since the previous editing job sucked. For anyone stumbling across this story for the first time: sorry! Everyone is a bit ooc (more than i usually allow) especially Meilin. This is actually a rewrite of a story I wrote a long time ago with the CCS characters stuck in. Enjoy!)_

**The Boarding House**

The trees seemed black as they whipped past her in an endless blur. She must seem insane to be running through the woods at night, but in her small world of consciousness at the moment she really didn't care. Running was what she was meant to do at that moment. She had originally hopped onto a bus when she had run from her home earlier that morning. It seemed like days ago rather than most of a single day that her step-brother had tried to rape her. She gave him what for and stopped in her room long enough to get a few changes of clothes, money and the book she had been reading. That proves what idiocy lies in the heart of a frantic person. She grabbed a book. In what way that was going to help her survive a life without a job or financial support aside of the few hundred dollars she had kept in savings she had no clue.

But she hopped a bus and got off when the driver told her she had to. She didn't know where she was nor did she care. She held out her hand and hitchhiked until the man who picked her up gave similar advances as her step-brother. At that point she opened the door of the still moving truck and dove out. She might have lost consciousness if not for her desperation and will to run. And run she did. She had been running for hours now. In the back of her head it really didn't make sense that her body, which before had taken no liking to athletics of any kind would allow her to run like she did but that same thought figured it for adrenaline which she had aplenty.

And that was why she found herself in the middle of a forest in the middle of the night long after rain had started to pour down on her head. Somewhere distant she thought she could hear the ocean. Living on a series of islands made that sound common place. She wondered how many times she had come to the shoreline that day. But now suddenly, she wanted to see the sea more than anything.

With that thought in mind she started running harder which proved her folly when she tripped over a stray branch and tumbled down an incline. In her already tired mind it felt like forever but it couldn't have been more than a few minutes that she was falling through the endless dark and trees. When she finally came to a stop she just laid there for awhile longer taking solace in her first break in running in hours, if not the new bruises she would have on the morrow.

After a few minutes she sat up and wiped the wet hair, mud and leaves from her face. At that moment lightning struck and suddenly she could see the clearing in front of her. In the middle, with light barely shining from it, she saw what looked like a huge house with gardens all around it. Her first thought was, "Why is there a house in the middle of the forest?" but it was quickly superceded by, "I wonder if they would let me stay for the rest of the night..." After a moments hesitation she laughed at herself. Everything else that she had done that day was bold and audacious without second thought or fears. Why should asking for help be any different? She'd survived everything else.

Dusting off her no-longer-dark-blue day dress off as much as she could, which was pretty pointless as it was now firmly the colour of mud, she checked to see if her bag had survived and then made across the field with purpose in her stride, despite the torrential rain that still poured upon her. She strode right up the steps and knocked right on the front door. She would have normally feared about being too late at night but they had lights on and she really didn't care.

After a moment she heard noises and the door opened. At that moment lightning flashed, revealing to her a tall woman dressed in black with equally inky long tresses tied up on either side of her head in what was popularly called 'odangos', little buns that left a good portion of hair to hang down. Her skin in comparison was almost snow white and her appearance was in fact so dramatic that it took a moment for it to register that she could only be in her twenties.

The tall woman looked her up and down with sparkling ruby eyes and for the first time that day she felt ragged and not worth looking at. But it was only for a moment because then the woman smiled. "You must be soaked through. Why don't you come in and tell me your story."

For some reason it sounded so tempting and the woman sounded so inviting that, without hesitation, she followed the woman. The house was beautiful and gave off the impression of warmth and home as she wandered down the halls. Her bag was taken from her and she was whisked into a small bathroom where she might tidy up a bit and a fuzzy black bathrobe for her to wear until her clothes were cleaned and dried or something else suitable be found. Normally, all this would seem strange to the poor girl, but her mind was so tired that she meekly followed the tall woman's orders without so much as saying a word. Besides, she welcomed the hot shower and clean clothes and really wouldn't have wanted to turn it down if she were in a proper state of mind.

After she was clean and warm and dry she joined the tall woman in a small sitting room. The woman smiled at her with every sense of welcome, and perhaps some mischief, and offered her some tea. She just smiled and accepted it meekly.

"Well, now that you are warm and dry, I hope you feel more the thing. You looked half dead on my door step."

"Yes, ma'am. I'm sorry to be an inconvenience." She paused a moment and sipped her tea. "Actually, no I'm not. I am very grateful for your troubles and don't know what I would have done without them."

The woman laughed. "I figured as much. You are welcome to anything I might provide, with one condition."

"My first born child?"

"What would I do with that?" the woman chuckled, making a face. "No, rather your story."

"I'm sure you really would find it boring ma'am," she blushed. While her story was horrifying to her, it was common enough and definitely not worth being treated like she was.

"I disagree. I find stories are what makes my day interesting. I am as uncommon as they come and I love to hear about those people who are far more normal."

"How are you so uncommon?"

"Ah, ah! I asked your story. But perhaps I'll tell you what you will get in exchange if you tell me,...what is your name dear?"

"Tomoyo," she whispered softly. She kept her last name back, due to the infamous nature of it.

"A beautiful name. Now, Tomoyo, this is a boarding house. It is however not an ordinary boarding house because, as I said before, I am nothing but uncommon. Rather, I take in only those who have a story to tell. Runaway's, fugitives, those without money, those who are accused of all sorts of things. Wrongly accused mind you. I don't want to be murdered in my bed. Though I'm pretty sure I can take care of myself." She paused long enough to smile at Tomoyo with amusement and reassurance. "And here they stay, free of charge, provided they tell me their story, go to school, if they are of age, and don't mind my oddities."

"May I ask what your oddities are, ma'am, before I agree to tell you my story?"

"No fair!" she huffed jokingly before settling back into her chair a little. The woman looked at her with a considering, judging kind of look. When she finished it was with a touch of admiration in her eyes. "You are very wise for a girl so young. Much more than I was at your age."

"Hardly, ma'am, if I am in a position to need your help."

The woman just waved her hand in dismissal. "Nonsense. People who are wise just as often must run from bad situations as find themselves in good ones. You were smart enough to leave." She took a sip of her own tea, and then continued. "As you asked I have quite a few oddities. One of the first is that I take in such oddities for house guests. While at present I only have two, they have both been her for some duration and there are surely more that will come. Second of all, except for the young girl who is with us now, you must wear black at all times while in the house."

Tomoyo looked down at her bath robe and the woman's own ensemble. She shrugged in acquiescence. Black was good on everyone. "And?"

"Lastly, my dear girl, this is a place of magick."

Tomoyo blinked. "Pardon? You mean that seriously don't you?"

"Another educated answer. You are no fun. But, I think we will do along quite well. Yes, I mean real magick. I myself am a sorceress and the two staying here are no stranger to magick themselves. There are also all sorts of weird things around the house that have been enchanted or make magick or all sorts of things. They don't react unless they sense that they need to so you should be safe. I also promise that you will not find me doing any spells on you or such. Unless you give consent that is." She smiled ingratiatingly. "You may find that some of what we do is intriguing and quite entertaining and want to participate. If so, you may join in at any time. You may also take whatever chance you have to learn what you will."

Tomoyo sat back and sipped her tea. She knew the lady was both quite serious and quite sane. There WAS something about this place that cried out that it was different. Did she trust this place though? In her head she knew that there was something askance of someone who gave so much with so little in return. But, she also knew that this was as good as she was going to get at the moment. After a moment's consideration she sat up and looked at the lady.

"My father died when I was barely born. My mother was a brilliant woman and started her own company soon after his death. It became very popular and made a lot of money. But despite all the comforts money could buy, mother was lonely and thought I needed a father figure in my life. So right after I turned twelve she remarried a man by the name of Yamaguchi. He was a widower with two children. His son was older than me by a couple years and his daughter younger by a few more.

"My mother died only a few days after my thirteenth birthday. She left almost her entire fortune and the mansion to me. After that my step-father grew bitter towards me, feeling somewhat betrayed that after a short marriage he now had a child who had everything and he didn't get anything. His son however took a slightly different view of it.

"He began flirting with me even then. At first it was barely noticeable but in the passing years he got more and more adamant about it. Often he would caress my knee under the table, or corner me alone to find some way to touch me. However it wasn't until this morning, or is it tomorrow yet? That he tried to rape me. After that I immediately ran, and have been running, until I appeared on your door step an hour ago."

The woman looked at her for a long while. Tomoyo knew that she had sealed the deal and that there was something more she would have to do in coming days, but for now it was a roof over her head, food and some way to continue school, something she hadn't even considered when she ran. It was a bargain she was fully willing to keep. And so the lady judged. She stood up and walked over to Tomoyo. She stretched out her hand.

"You can call me Mistress Mei Lin. It sounds a bit formal, but it's another one of those oddities. Shall I show you to your room?"

Tomoyo stood up and put her tea cup on the table in front of her. She followed the Mistress through the surprisingly large house. It was even bigger than she had first imagined and put her in mind of those English manors that her mother had so often talked about. After some time they reached a door at the end of one hallway.

"This is your room. It may seem ridiculous to put you so far away from the main part of the house when it is so large, but, as I mentioned before, there are parts of this house which even I do not trust to act as they should. And seeing as you have no known magick, it would best to have you out of harm's way."

She looked at the pendant she wore, a clock, briefly. "It is just past midnight, which makes this Sunday. Hopefully by Tuesday we will have you settled with the nearby school. That will also give you a full two days to accustom yourself to the house. You will meet your fellow boarders tomorrow at breakfast."

She began to walk away before she paused and turned back. "Sorry, Tomoyo dear, I forgot to ask how old you are."

"I'm sixteen, Mistress Mei Lin. My birthday is half a year away."

Tomoyo thought she heard the ruby eyed lady say, "What a good age to be initiated," but she felt she must be mistaken. She opened her door and took a look around her room. As she halfway expected, it was more of a suite rather than a room. It had three rooms total: A bedroom, a dressing room and a bathroom. Quickly making use of the facilities and the night rail she found in the armoire, she slipped between the sheets of the large four-poster and fell into a dreamless sleep.

She woke up the next morning at 7:30 on the dot. She felt completely and utterly rested but was still at a loss to why she had woken up so early. She had never been someone who woke up naturally early. She thanked her alarm clock many a time for that fact. Still she shrugged it off and rose from bed. After inspecting the bathroom she found a brand new tooth brush with tooth paste, face wash and all the other things a girl might need to prepare for the day.

When she was finished in the bath room a cursory look around her room revealed a that a black dress had been laid across the back of a chair, along with her now clean bra and some black house shoes, which really looked more like silk shoes than anything she had seen in the slipper section of her local department store.

Tomoyo dressed quickly, admiring the long flowing dress with its high-waisted, and wondered if the dress shouldn't be more suited to a formal event than something to be worn around the house. Then again, this house was ten times nicer than hers had been. She fixed up her long wavy black hair into a neat bun, mentally laughing that she landed from one rich house to another, and poked her head out the door. The long hall way was empty except, she noted, a black cat that was pointedly staring at her. Tomoyo, an intuitive and wise girl, knew almost instinctively that this cat was definitely sent to guide her through the house.

"After you, if you please," she said with a small bow. After all, you must always be polite to a cat or else they think you are not worth the effort. However the cat seemed pleased enough and rose from its sitting position and made its way through the house. She slowly followed, taking in more of her surroundings than she had the night previous. There were beautiful stone carvings everywhere and gorgeous paintings.

Everything seemed both elegant and welcoming. However there was still an unmistakable air of something that was not quite normal that filled the hallways and passages. It did not feel threatening, just unsettling. Just as unsettling as the Mistress, Tomoyo figured to herself. Or following a cat through the enormous structure she was to call home.

After some few minutes the cat stopped and sat in the hall, facing a double door way. It was quite obvious that she was to enter and so she did after thanking the cat most graciously for its time. As it trundled off in some dark direction she poked her head through the large mahogany double doors. She found a dining room with a long beautiful cherry table and chairs. To one side there was a sideboard with food set upon it.

Tomoyo was beginning to wonder just how far she had traveled in a single day when the door was pulled from her grasp and fully opened. Startled she glanced around to see if there was another person there of if there was yet again some magical force at work. To her relief she found a little boy with dark hair and a pale face, like everyone else in this place she assumed, who couldn't have been more than ten at max.

"I'm sorry. I didn't see anyone else in the room," she apologized, coming more fully into the room. "Are you one of the other boarders?"

He smiled at her, a smile which seemed to be much older than someone his age should give. "It's no worry, miss. With everything as dark as it is its no surprise that you didn't see someone dressed entirely in black. Especially one as small as me. But then, you get used to it."

"I hope so," she replied, fiddling with her own black gown. "I'm beginning to fear that I will look like a relief painting before too long. But I'm guessing that might be another rule of the house as well?"

He laughed softly and moved to pull out a chair for her. In the space before it was a cup of tea and a biscuit with jam and butter to one side. She sat down, thanking him softly and watched as the surprisingly mature little boy took a seat opposite her.

"You are correct on both assumptions, miss. I am one of the oldest boarders she has, in more ways than one, and yes I do fear that Mistress is looking to make us all into one gigantic relief painting that she can convince someone to sketch one day. She tells everyone that she is great at, well, everything. No one's ever seen anything she's drawn though so perhaps it isn't fiction. We'll have to see though."

She chewed on her biscuit for a moment before asking another question. "You mean the other boarder is even younger than you? You can't be more than ten or so, so how old are they?"

"Sakura -that is her name, and a very fitting one it is too- is nine years old. She is very quiet and keeps to herself most of the time. You probably won't meet her till dinner time. However, she does love people and company. Her personality may be a bit weird but I'm sure you'll like her."

"And what is your name?"

"I am Kyogi Mikkoku. Feel free to call me Mikkoku."

"I'm Tomoyo," she replied with a soft smile. There was something about this boy that made her feel just barely not at ease. She wasn't afraid of him but he did feel just a bit unnatural. Perhaps it was his maturity, or, as Mistress mentioned last night, the fact that he was associated with the magic.

"Ah, yes. Mistress charged me with getting your last name so we could settle you in with the high school."

She carefully avoided the question by posing one of her own. "What school will that be? The local public school? For that matter where are we, I'm not quite sure which direction I was going, I just went."

Mikkoku took a long sip of what appeared to be coffee before answering. "Where we are is hard to explain. This mansion, boarding house, whatever you want to call it, shows up where it is needed. When I found it, it was sitting on a cliff. Sakura says that when she found it, it was just down the street from her. However I get the impression from Mistress that you were closest to finding it in its natural surroundings."

"A moving house? Now I've heard everything."

His eyes glimmered for a second. "No, Tomoyo, you haven't yet."

Something inside of Tomoyo made her withdraw into the insides of her mind after hearing that statement. She knew better than to ask what else she would hear or see now that she had come to such a place, because she was not likely to get a straight answer. But on the other hand, she didn't know if she wanted to have one.

"As to your other question, you will be going to a small private school. You will be comfortable there, Mistress thinks, rather than at a public school. You will be registered tomorrow and Mistress is out right now procuring your uniform and school books."

Tomoyo frowned. "I actually have enough money to pay, but not immediately. I more or less ran away from home and can't get to my funds until I am 18."

"Don't worry about money, Tomoyo. Mistress is loaded and has more fun looking after new boarders than anything else. If you want you can pay her back when possible, but for now just rest at ease."

She found it very hard to do so but went back to her breakfast, nibbling on the biscuit bit by bit as she processed everything through her head. So much had happened in twenty-four hours that she barely new herself anymore. She also had the very uncomfortable feeling that these people surrounding her knew her intimately already. More so than she herself did. Tomoyo found it very hard to suppress her shudder.

That is until she noticed that Mikkoku was swinging his feet under the table. It was that very small childish movement that made her feel more at home and comfortable. It made him seem more human and less like some thing from an anime. She smiled as she sipped her tea.

"Now that I have answered your questions, will you return the favour?"

She sighed deeply. "I don't think I should be registered under my real name. It is more or less infamous."

"So that's why you are so reluctant to give it to Mistress. Well, why don't you just make one up?"

"I'd never thought of that before. What would you suggest?" she asked pouring more tea into her cup.

He seemed to stop and consider the question for a moment. "It has to be a name that sounds good with Tomoyo. How bout Hayashi Tomoyo?"

Tomoyo barely managed to bite back a giggle. "That sounds a little silly."

"I think I'll take that as a compliment rather than an insult. However, if Hayashi won't do how bout...Ah I know. Do you mind Western names?"

"Not really. Why?"

"How does Madison sound? I understand it is both a first name and last name."

"I guess it fits. Tomoyo Madison. I will parade myself as a Westerner. It will be amusing and people will think I'm exotic and mystical. It fits. Especially since Mistress wants to turn me into a witch." She sipped her tea and adjusted herself to her new name.

"Got that impression did you?"

"Oh, just vaguely." She had to smile. He seemed to be friendlier by the moment, if not exactly like a normal child.

"If you are done with your breakfast, shall I show you around the place?'

She put down her tea cup. "Actually I would be very grateful if you would, if it's not too much trouble. I'm afraid of getting too lost despite the cat."

"Ah yes, Spinel Sun seems to like you. She will always show up if you have problems, never fear, but it is a good idea for you to get adjusted to where things are." He rose, placing his napkin on the table beside his cup. "If you will follow me?"

She spent the next couple of hours getting acquainted with the enormous house. There were more rooms than she had even guessed at first, but then everything was more than she had first imagined. There was a ballroom, a library, several studies, armories, sports rooms, dojo settings. The whole place seemed like a jumble of the outside world into one place so that you would never have to leave if you didn't want to. There was even a school room to one side.

"But Mistress prefers that we leave for schooling purposes. It encourages social interaction."

Also during their expedition he explained to her some of the oddities that just came with the house, no matter who lived in it. The waking up at 7:30am was one of those. Even if you only slept for five seconds before hand you would wake up at 7:30 and feel completely refreshed. The only catch is if you just didn't go to sleep that night you would feel as tired as ever. The boarding house also had a way of noticing its occupants and living up to them. The fresh toothbrush and face cleaners in her bathroom were note of this, as well as the black dress which had fit her perfectly. It was a very old enchantment on the house that made it so and one that to this day didn't cause a single bit of harm to its occupants.

Mikkoku also pointed out some trouble areas where furniture would move and the library bookshelf that would rearrange itself randomly, often sending books off of its shelves at breakneck speeds. Most things were harmless but he did warn her never to go into the basement by herself. She took that warning to heart. In fact, so engrossed with all the information she was learning she was hardly aware of the time until Mikkoku pulled out his pocket watch, which looked rather odd for a ten year old, no matter how mature, and pointed out that if they weren't in the dining room by six they might miss dinner.

He led her back to her room and left her with the assurance that if she needed assistance Spinel Sun would know and show up. With that he disappeared into the darkness of the long passageway. In her room she found a moderately more formal black gown to one side with a silver hair band and necklace lying on top of it. She quickly changed and brushed her hair out, putting on the jewelry as an after thought. When she opened the door, Spinel Sun was sitting there waiting for her.

"I think I can make it alone, Spinel, but would you walk with me all the same?"

The cat made an unmistakable nod and walked beside Tomoyo all the long way to the dining room. When they reached the doors, she reached down and pet the beautiful feline under her chin before rising again and turning towards the large doors. She felt nervous for some unknown reason and knew instinctively that she was being judged by those in this house around her. Even the little girl would be judging her. Taking a deep breath, Tomoyo straightened her shoulders and opened the doors with self confidence.

Inside she was met by Mistress who guided her to the table. Mikkoku was already seated where he had been earlier that morning and beside him was a little girl. Somewhere in the back of her head she connected the name to the national flower, cherry blossoms. And that is what this girl was, a delicate cherry blossom. Her hair was a beautiful honeyed brown cut short to reach just under her chin and her skin was porcelain with a delicate flush of pink at her cheeks. She was also dressed in a beautiful pink dress with lace and a pretty hair ribbon. Tomoyo recalled Mistress' previous words about everyone but one wearing black and understood that it would be a crime to make this girl wear black which would make her look insipid rather than radiant. And yet, despite the unexpected brilliance of this little girl, something in her struck a familiar cord.

"I see you noticed Sakura, Tomoyo."

Shaken from what must have been a rude stare, Tomoyo smiled. "I'm sorry for being rude, Sakura. You just remind me of a little girl I once knew."

Sakura looked at Tomoyo for a long moment in silence with sparkling jade eyes, as if gauging her trustworthiness. But at long last she smiled. "It's alright, Miss Tomoyo. You remind me of someone too. Perhaps you and I can play tomorrow."

"Sakura, you have school tomorrow. Did you forget?" Mistress reminded her with a shake of her head as she sat down at the head of the table beside Tomoyo and Mikkoku. "But perhaps when you get home?"

Tomoyo smiled. "I'd love to, Sakura. Just tell me when."

The young girl smiled back with such unadulterated innocence and purity that it almost hurt to look at. Somewhere in Tomoyo's mind and heart she felt as if she should call this fragile young girl 'princess' or 'lady' and perhaps with good reason.

Dinner continued with little talk except some questions from Mistress about Tomoyo's interests and what classes she had been in before so that when Mistress talked to the school on the next day she would be able to tell them where she should be placed. Tomoyo answered each question succinctly and polietely and enjoyed her dinner. She also listened to Mistress as she explained the different aspects of the school and some of the things that Mikkoku had failed to explain.

"Breakfast is served from 8am to 9:30 so you needn't rush from your room in the morning. Lunch, when you are here for it, is served from Noon to 1:30 and dinner is served promptly at 6pm. If you are late you will be refused as we try to keep it social. I will have no problem with shutting the door in your face. It is in my nature to be rude. The only exception is if you are feeling unwell and at that point you can have any meal in your room so that you might get more rest.

"There are several gardens around here, all enchanted to look their best no matter what the season, so don't be surprised when you find the roses in the Rose garden to still be in bloom even if it is October already. There is even a sakura grove that you can sit at. It tends to be everyone's favourite place. You are welcome to enter any of them at any time and there is no time restriction on anything in the house except of course when food is concerned. Oh and we will be having a ball on the 31st."

Tomoyo tried to take all that in and when the last few words finally reached that special part of her brain that made things make sense she sat forward. "A ball? Really?"

"I'd hardly lie to you about something like that, Tomoyo," she replied, rolling her eyes. "Why do you sound so incredulous?"

"It's not that. It's just never been to one without my mother. The last one I attended was at least five years ago."

"Oh well then we will have to make a special treat of it for you then, I'm sure." She glanced at her clock pendant. "Now if you will excuse me, I need to force Sakura to bed and you might do well to get to bed early. Yesterday was trying for you and you did a lot today as well. You need to be fit as a fiddle for school on Tuesday."

Saying as much she left the room with Sakura in tow. Tomoyo stared after them for a moment then turned to Mikkoku who was looking at her carefully. "What?"

"Oh nothing. I just think Mistress likes you."

"Is that good or bad?"

"I don't know. Mistress doesn't like many people so I don't have much experience with it."

"She seems to like you two."

"In that you are wrong. Me she tolerates because she has no choice and Sakura she respects. Which is vaguely different. But it is of little matter. We will know soon enough what her liking you will do." He put his napkin beside his plate. "Would you like to finish the tour?"

"Yes, please."

She followed him from the room wondering just what she had gotten herself into.


	2. The Shool Girl Bit

**The School Girl Bit**

Throwing open the doors into the dining room, Tomoyo instantly caught the attention as well as instantly found the first person of the morning to rant at.

"This outfit is so adorable. I have a mind to get a size for Sakura and try it on her!" she squealed.

The previous day, after she spent some time in the garden, which, even though she attempted to identify the leaves that had fallen into it, gave no clue as to the actual location of this place, she met with Mistress shortly after noon. Her class schedule, books and teachers names and genders were explained to her. She was also given that day's homework for each class so she wouldn't feel too awkward transferring midyear. She had pretty much identical classes to what she had at her old school except she had one study hall instead of P.E. for which she was devoutly grateful. She had also been handed her school uniform. At the time Tomoyo had noted that it seemed much like her previous one but those thoughts passed quickly as she tried to adjust for her schedule.

In truth it wasn't that difficult. She had been studying similar things and even had some of the same text books at her old school. The only difference was they were a bit behind her in math and they were reading Shakespeare in English instead of Austen. By the time she was done with all that it was time for her "play date" with Sakura. It took her nearly fifteen minutes to reach her room and after that they went to the room down the corridor from there to a playroom which had been left out of the tour. They played with dolls and had grown up tea and Tomoyo was not quite sure what to make of this girl who seemed like old fashioned royalty plopped down in front of her. But all in all, thoughts of school and transferring didn't bother Tomoyo in the slightest.

Until she saw herself in the mirror decked out in a white button up, black tie, navy blue sweater vest with the school emblem, a surprisingly short plaid skirt and white knee highs. Oh and black dress shoes. The sight made the headache she had woken up with worse. Of course that made her even more irritable.

Mikkoku turned to smile at the irate teen. "I think you look very well, Tomoyo." He paused to look at her a bit more closely. "Though, even I must admit you do look like you stepped out of Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou."

She blinked, not having expected him to cite a specific anime. Or Manga, she wasn't certain since she'd never got into it really. She drew a long resigned sigh, tossed her hair to the side and sat down to her usual cup of tea.

"Especially with your hair down. I never realized it was so long!" He cocked his head to one side. "In fact I think this is the first time I've seen your hair down."

After taking a nice long sip of her mint tea she nodded. "Yeah, I usually keep it up whenever I'm inside but my head hurts so having my hair up makes it ache worse. Thus it is down."

"It's truly beautiful. Such a nice shade of black. Very pure. And it goes down to, what, your hips?"

"I don't think I've ever heard someone call black 'pure' but no it goes down to a little above my mid thigh. My hair grows almost obscenely fast so if I don't bother to cut it, it grows ridiculously long before even I notice. My hair has been up a lot the past few months since it's been so hot so I didn't notice it had gotten so long."

"Hmm," Mikkoku replied looking thoughtful. Then he gave a small little smile. "Well, to complete your image if you want to put your hair up..." Knocking on the table twice and then snapping his fingers he drew from the air two long silver chop sticks. This startled Tomoyo greatly for while she was becoming quickly acquainted with magick, or at least the kind that the house used, she had never seen something like that performed so blatantly.

"U-uhm...thanks," she said taking them. When she felt their coolness she inspected them closer. "Mikkoku! These are metal! These are weapons!"

He smiled with the most childlike glee. "Consider it a gift for your first day of school. If you meet someone you don't like, or who doesn't like you."

She couldn't help but laugh. "You are positively evil." And while Mikkoku was trying to figure out if that was an oxymoron or a compliment, she looked at the watch she had suspended from a bracelet on her watch. "I need to go or I'll be late with the meeting with the principal." She quickly finished her tea and grabbed her book bag, which looked more like a messenger back than anything else. "By the way, Mikkoku, what school do you go to? The same one as Sakura does? You were definitely gone yesterday."

The smile he gave her seemed to be enigmatic but Tomoyo just put it down to being mentally hassled. "No, I go to a different school."

She shrugged. "Alright. I'll see you later!" she called as she ran out the door. She made her way quickly through the various halls and passageways that led the front door. When she got there she found Mistress waiting with a long dark coat in her hands that must surely go down to the floor when worn. It looked exceedingly warm and she was very grateful for it.

"Now Tomoyo. It may seem disconcerting at first but you will not be going by car or walk to school. Instead you will be transported by magic a block away from school, in a nice prefixed area that won't be of note if you appear suddenly."

This made Tomoyo extremely nervous but she merely said, "Yes, Mistress. Is there anything I must do? And how will I be getting home?"

"No, you just need to stand there. And you see this silver pin in the shape of the moon? When you need to come home you must press it between your thumb and forefinger for five seconds then say, "Home," and it should do the work for you. Any other questions?"

"No, ma'am," she said as she put on the nice coat, pulling her long hair out from the collar. "I'm all set."

"Good girl. I'll see you when you get home. Try to get along with everyone, dear. I'm sure you will have a nice enough time since it's you."

And while anyone else in the world could take that sentence to imply that Tomoyo's dramatic beauty would surely get at least a few people to like her, this sentence threw her into confusion, because for all that Tomoyo was smart and very intuitive, she never thought of herself as anything but passively pretty. But it didn't last long as she quickly was introduced to the first bit of magick done directly on her. The world around her blurred and suddenly got freezing cold as it solidified into a very blustery alleyway. Stepping out of the alleyway she looked both ways to get a grasp of which way the school was and quickly saw the lengthy stone and rod iron fence that surrounded it. Readjusting her bag and brushing her hair from her face, very tempted to pull out those chopsticks she had stuffed in her bag, Tomoyo confidently set down the sidewalk to what she hoped would be a good day of school, a place she had always been able to find a bit of sanctuary. Yes, she would make today a good day. If it killed her.

"So, what all did Mrs. Mei Lin tell you about our school, Madison-san?" the fair haired and quite handsome principal asked her. She gauged him to be in his thirties and obviously quite taken with Mistress.

"She just told me the name of the school, the names of my teachers and the classes I was taking. Oh and, of course, that it was a private co-ed school."

"Ah. Well, there are only a few things I need to tell you, vital though they may be. The first is the most unusual. In this school, rather than students changing classes, and causing unnecessary noisy traffic in the hallways, the teachers are the ones who change rooms. Each teacher has a separate office of their own on one of the three floors where they hold private discussions with their students. As such you will have the same class mates for almost all of your classes, which most people don't object to too much since it is a relatively small school and you still get to associate with the other students through clubs and lunch time.

"Lunch is served through two different lines and the students are released by class, by grade so there isn't too big of a line. I think that's all...Oh! I nearly forgot. While the teachers change you will have one homeroom teacher who comes to you at the beginning of the day, right before lunch and before any free periods, as well as any class they may teach. Did you get all that or did I go to fast for you, miss?"

She smiled politely, "I got it all Mr. Erisson. I think I will like it very well here." With that she rose and got her bag. "Oh, I'm sorry, but what class are we in now?"

"Let me think, oh yes, since we have a school activities meeting this morning we are still in homeroom. There is a school activities meeting once every other week and it is the first forty-five minutes of the day. It takes over the hassles of assemblies and daily announcements."

"Thank you, sir. I'll head to class now." With a smile, Tomoyo exited the office as politely as she had entered it.

"What a nice girl."

After a moment or two of wandering the hallways, Tomoyo found her glass at the end of the second story corridor. She politely knocked on the door before entering.

"-and right on time! Class I'd like you to meet the new exchange student."

Walking to stand beside the teacher's desk, Tomoyo stood facing the class with a kindly smile on her face, her long jacket folded over her bag. And, again, being an oblivious girl, she didn't quite register the look of appreciation that the guys of the room got as they noticed her long shapely legs and curvaceous figure or the admiring looks that the girls gave her pretty face and gorgeous long hair. No, instead she noticed the fact that no one was frowning at her or looking overly bored.

"This is Tomoyo Rosenberg who just transferred today. Unless I'm mistaken, which I'm not," the teacher commented as he looked over the lists, "she stays in this room all day. Which I'm sure pleases a few of you. Madison-san would you like to tell us something about yourself?"

She smiled nervously. "Um, I just came here from Colorado two days ago. Uh, I live at a boarding house with two other boarders and have a pet cat named Spinel Sun." She ended the speech with a calm, sweet smile all the while feeling ridiculous about not being able to say much without coming across phrases like "run away" or "magick".

"Alright, does anyone have any questions for her?"

Hands rose all over the class room.

"Miss Hainley?"

"So you are living away from your parents? Don't they mind?"

Tomoyo momentarily considered the fact that none of her relatives, blood or legally related, knew her whereabouts before saying, "They haven't objected so far."

"Mr. Taylor?"

"Why Spinel Sun?"

"I actually didn't name her. The Mistress of the Boarding House did and I assume it's because she is all black."

"And...Mr. Verris?"

"Um, yeah, do you have a boyfriend, or did you leave him in Colorado, or what?"

"I don't have a boyfriend, here or back home," she answered blushing almost scarlet.

"That's enough of that," the teacher said sternly. "Now, Madison-san, if you will kindly sit...well, behind Mr. Verris seems to be the only open seat. I think I made his day."

Smiling calmly to hide her, embarrassment she made her way to what was almost the middle of the room and sat behind the very cute brunette boy who had asked her the flattering question.

"Hey," he said, attempting to be nonchalant.

"Hi," came out in little more than a whisper.

As she put her bag down and pulled out a note book to take notes of the activities she glanced around the room and saw all the welcoming smiles. She felt better about the school already. She selected a pen and sat back in her chair to take notes.

Almost immediately she dropped it again. She had finally gotten a good look at her new homeroom teacher, having been too nervous earlier to look over at him. He was absolutely drop dead gorgeous. The man couldn't be more than 24, 25 tops. His hair seemed made of long black silk and pulled into a long sleek ponytail that trailed down his back. He had an attractive angular face and behind a pair of glasses she could see storm grey eyes that sent shivers down her spine with their intensity.

Or perhaps because they were staring so intensely into hers.

Tomoyo managed to survive her first day at her new school. She would never know that it was the calm demeanor she kept dragging up to make herself feel less nervous that got everyone's attention. The new girl was not only beautiful but she was smart and she acted so mature. Girls kept talking about how nice she was and the guys commented on everything from "that sweet smile" to other body parts somewhat farther down. However when the bell rang to signify that her free period had started and many of the other students left the room to go to the library or the gym or various other activities that they were allowed, she merely stood and went to the second story windows. The blustery day had turned into a downpour sometime around second period and hadn't stopped since. The sky was as dark as if it were night. IT was a disappointment for many since they were allowed to eat outside or on the roof if they wanted to and instead they were forced into the smallish cafeteria.

Tomoyo didn't mind really, though. Somehow the dark atmosphere fit the new life she was building. She now lived in a house that was black and white, with black wining, where there was magick, but more mystery. Everything seemed dark even if they weren't uncomfortable. She was content with the darkness as she was with the storm. But she had never been afraid of shadows even as a girl. She was always retreating into them. So on the first day of school, instead of making friends or doing homework early, Tomoyo just stood watching the rain with a sort of numbness in her mind.

After awhile, however, she felt like she was being watched. At first she ignored it but after a good ten minutes of the feeling she realized that she wasn't just being paranoid. Casually she turned around and leaned against the windows, her hands on the long wooden frame. Calmly she looked over the room, wondering who would be looking at her with enough intensity that she would notice. And it didn't take long to find out. Because her homeroom teacher was back along with his piercing stare. She met his eyes for almost a full minute before turning back to watch the storm. There was something about his eyes that was rather disconcerting. There wasn't malice but it wasn't just curiosity either. He was feeling something pretty intense when he looked at her and she wasn't quite sure she wanted to know what that was.

When the bell rang found out that he was also her English teacher, and a pretty good one actually, but she couldn't help but long for the class period to fly by quickly.

After school she set about visiting her various teachers in their offices. She was doing half today, the other half tomorrow. Not feeling particularly brave she put him off to the second day. She had nice pleasant conversations with the rest of her teachers and had gotten up to speed on everything else she needed to know in those classes by 4pm. When she finally made her way to the front entrance she moaned audibly. The rain was coming down even harder than it had been a couple hours earlier and she didn't think that her coat was going to be sufficient protection. Really she didn't have too far to walk but it did equate to a couple of blocks from the alleyway to the front door. Sighing she was pushing the door open when someone held out a black umbrella in front of her. Without thinking she took it and began to open the door again. Then she paused, shook her head and looked to see who had given it to her.

Of course, it was him. He was already walking away and looked back at her with an amused smile.

"Thank you," she called after him softly.

He just raised a hand and kept on walking.

Feeling slightly disconcerted, Tomoyo stepped outside and unfurled the umbrella, truly grateful. Especially so once she stepped out into the icy waters. The sidewalks were full of puddles and she couldn't avoid getting her legs wet. Finally she gave up and just started to run. Unfortunately this turned out to be a very bad idea when not a meter from the alleyway she tripped and fell into a large puddle, soaking herself almost completely through. Sighing she picked up the umbrella, not bothering to put it over her head anymore and stepped down the alleyway.

"Home."

She watched as the already grey world dissolved around her and the front porch solidified in its place. She closed her umbrella and was about to open the door when Mikkoku did it for her. He took one look at her and bit back a laugh. He must have felt her murderous rage because he instantly apologized holding his hands up.

"I'm sorry Tomoyo; it's just that you look so forlorn. That and this is almost exactly how you looked when you first showed up. But come on." He took her coat and umbrella from her, putting them both in their respective places. "And I fear that this is exactly what whoever gave you this umbrella was trying to avoid."

She groaned. "Oh, don't mention him."

"Him?" Mikkoku sounded curious. "First day and you already got a boyfriend. Way to go Tomoyo. Hey that rhymes," he added as a side note.

Tomoyo looked at her young friend. He had obviously had a good day and she was pleased for him. He had been generally somber in the past couple days and seeing him in such a good mood relieved her. "Not a boyfriend-" she paused to sneeze, "-a teacher."

"Even better," he laughed mischievously. "Older men, eh?"

She tried to hit him but he ducked. That and she wasn't really in a fighting mood. Rather Mikkoku was becoming like a little brother. The teasing wasn't making her angry but rather cheering her up. This was kind of new to her and she liked it.

"Brat," she sniffed.

"Of course. Now, why don't you change and shower and I'll bring some tea up to you?"

"Ha. You'll probably be done with the tea by the time I get to my room. But I'll still accept your offer." She sneezed again. "God, if I get a cold for my first week at a new school I think I'll have to break something."

"Don't worry; you'll be all better by tomorrow. That is if you don't get tired and die of exhaustion before you get to your room." And saying such he walked off towards the dining room where she assumed the kitchens were as well. Picking up her bag again she made her way towards her room.

Nearly an hour later when she was drying her hair by sitting with her back to the fire place and looking over the day's homework, she heard a knock on her door.

"Come in!" she called not looking up from the math problem. It didn't click until she heard the clink of metal on metal that she realized that it would be Mikkoku with tea and his hands were probably full. She quickly got up to help him only to find that it wasn't necessary. The tea tray was floating in front of him as he turned the door knob. Quickly he grabbed it and stared at him in amazement. "You could have just asked for help!"

He smiled and closed the door most of the way. Taking the tray back he walked back to where she had been sitting on the carpet. He looked around for a moment then shrugged. Letting go of the tray he watched as it slowly floated to the ground. "No need for that." He turned and looked back at her amazed expression. He held back his laughter and motioned for her to come back and sit. "Come on!"

She sat back down in front of her math book and watched in amazed silence as he put sugar in her tea, stirred it and handed it to her before putting cream and sugar in his own.

"You use magick so casually, Mikkoku. And I imagine what you do isn't exactly beginners stuff."

"No, not exactly. But then it isn't far from it. And don't use magick as casually as you think I do. What you see just isn't really magick."

"I beg to differ."

He sipped his tea before answering. "Well it is but it's not anything that you need to worry about. Floating a tea tray is not going to make the world slip off balance."

"What about those chopsticks you made earlier?" she asked over her tea cup. She hadn't sipped any but was just basking in the steam.

"Oh, I didn't make them. Contrary to what people believe you can't just make something from nothing. Well you can but it takes a VERY long time. But those I had in my room. I just transported them which is again not earth shattering."

"Oh." She shrugged and took a sip.

"It's something that you will be doing quickly enough," Mikkoku said very casually.

Tomoyo resisted the urge to spit out her tea. She swallowed hard then asked rather harshly, "What?"

"Didn't Mistress say that you would be learning magick?"

"Yeah, but later she also said that I didn't HAVE any. So I figured she was just doing that as a precursor type thing."

For the first time Mikkoku looked at her as if she had said something truly surprising. "You have magick. Where did you get the impression you didn't?"

Tomoyo just kind of stared. "I don't know. From Mistress and the fact that I've never used any till now?"

"Tomoyo, if you didn't have magick you wouldn't have been able to do that transportation spell."

"What transportation spell?"

"How you got home, dimwit."

"Oh. I forgot about that. Kinda cold." As if on cue, she sneezed again.

He laughed. "Anyway, you have magick. I'm not certain but I don't think that anyone who DOESN'T have magick can even SEE the boarding house. Well maybe if they were with someone who could, but..." He let his sentence trail off with a shrug. "But no we'll wait a bit for you to get adjusted to the house then you'll start learning.

"Adjusted huh? How bout we wait till, Thanksgiving break?" Then after a moment. "We are still in the U.S. right? I didn't ask but..."

"As I said, where we are is hardly relative. But you do go to school in the U.S. so I think you'll still have a Thanksgiving Day holiday."

"Good. We'll start then."

"Sorry. Can't."

Tomoyo was beginning to get the urge to smack him and that silly grin of his. "Why not?"

"You have to be semi-proficient before Halloween. Or you can't go to the ball."

"Oh alright. But it's only the first week of October so give me at least a couple weeks."

"Done."

She finished her tea. "And why am I even arguing this with you? Won't Mistress be teaching me?"

"Probably not. Most likely I will."

"Why?"

"Because I'm the one who is most proficient in it."

"But you are so young! How can you be better at it than her?" When Mikkoku didn't answer, Tomoyo looked at him even more closely. "I keep getting the feeling that none of you are telling me everything. But I guess I'll just have to wait."

"Precisely." He looked at her homework. "Math?"

"Yep."

"Need any help?"

"No. I was actually one of those child genius people. Mom just didn't want me to be educated like one so I was sentenced to suffer through twelve years of regular schooling. Lucky me right?"

"It's all a matter of opinion. But at least we don't need to worry that you'll need to worry more about your school work than the magick lessons."

"Says who?" she stuck her tongue out at him.

He began to put the tea tray back together. When he was almost finished he paused to ask her a question. "The teacher who gave you the umbrella...did you dislike him or something?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Because you were groaning about him."

She shrugged. "I don't DISlike him, but there is something about him that isn't very comfortable."

"What's his name?"

"No clue."

Mikkoku laughed. "How did you manage that one?"

"Simple. I never asked who my homeroom teacher was but it was obviously implied that I had and they never called him by name in class."

"You are amazing, Tomoyo. Now get some rest so you don't catch cold." At the door he turned back, "Do you want dinner sent up to you?"

"I think I can make it. But if I don't show up you'll know that the wicked rain has got me."

She watched him in fascination as the tea tray floated in front of him before she went back to her work.

Nervously she knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Slowly, grasping the black umbrella in her hands, Tomoyo opened the door and came into the small office. It was a nice room actually but she wished she didn't have to be there. Because there she met the familiar pair of storm grey eyes behind a pair of glasses.

"Ah, Madison-san, I was expecting you."

She extended the umbrella to him. "Thank you again for letting me borrow this. I brought my own today." Glancing out the window at the torrential rain she was heartily grateful.

"You are welcome. Have a seat."

She sat down, hoping against hope that she looked calm rather than nervous. However, she pointedly kept her eyes on his desk rather than him.

"Now, Madison-san, I gathered from the other faculty members that you have been having interviews to get to know your teachers and to catch up on lessons up till now, am I correct?"

"Yes sir."

"Well, I'm assuming that since you have done the reading you are really just looking to see what other books we have read? That and perhaps you want to know what my name is?"

She looked up at him quickly. Too quickly because it gave her away.

He was smiling at her. "Irian Matthews. And here is a list of the books." He handed her a piece of paper. Meekly she accepted it, feeling very embarrassed that he knew. "I assume that is all?"

"That's all really, Hiiragizawa-sensei." She smiled at him. "I want to get home before the rain gets any worse. Else I would stay longer. I'm sorry if you find it rude."

"No, its fine, Madison-san."

As she turned to the door she felt his eyes upon her still. The eyes that had bored into her all day and throughout the whole interview. When she got to the door she turned and looked at him.

"Something else?" he asked calmly.

Tomoyo opened her mouth to say something then stopped herself. She opened the door instead then stopped and looked at him again.

"Hiiragizawa-sensei...why do you keep staring at me?"

"Are you sure that's what I'm doing?"

"Please don't play with me, Hiiragizawa-sensei. I'm being serious."

He laughed a very nice laugh really. "All right. Because, Madison-san, I think I can expect great things from you."

She looked at him. "You're lying," she said before she turned and walked through the door. As she walked down the hallway she heard his soft chuckle follow her through the door.

"You know, Mikkoku, you are always home before I am, why is that? You get out of school earlier?"

Tomoyo was sitting on the carpet in front of the fireplace again where she and Mikkoku had set up a routine to have tea everyday after she got home from school and changed. Occasionally she would do homework while she they talked but in general he liked to show her a lot of the "smaller magicks" that he would soon be teaching her. He often would slip into the conversation bits on what magick really was, precursors to the actual lessons she knew, but she didn't mind. This was the fourth day that they had had this little chat and she had been at the Boarding House for almost a complete week, a fact which was a bit surprising since it felt like longer.

"Well, one should think it was obvious that I get home much earlier than you, so the answer is obviously yes."

She rolled her eyes. "You could have just said yes to begin with. What time do you get off?"

"2:30, unless I stay after to do additional works, which I do occasionally, but pretty much no matter what I'm home by 3 o'clock."

"That's unfair! You get out a full thirty minutes before me."

"Well, at my age they like you more."

"And when do you do your homework? I'm sure you are bound to have some, actually more than some since you are obviously a child genius and must go to one of those schools."

"I'm flattered. Yes, I have quite a bit of work but I do most of it at school or before you get home."

"Oh," she said as she bit into a cookie. Cookies and tea, a childish sort of delight. "But I guess its okay. Since you are always home before me that means we don't have to put off our tea time. If it had to be too much later we would be right on top of dinner and I'm sure Mistress would string us up if that happened."

"Most definitely." He looked at her homework. "Speaking of which, you getting along well enough at school?"

"Yeah, I like all my teachers. I made friends with a girl named Cathy and her friend Jenny. Some of the guys talk to me but they really don't say much. Don't know why."

"What about that one teacher you mentioned earlier?"

"Hiiragizawa-sensei? Oh I guess he's alright. Kinda creeps me out sometimes but he's a descent enough teacher."

Mikkoku laughed. "Ah well, everyone needs at least one creepy teacher right. Just make sure he doesn't turn out to be some sort of alien from Saturn or something."

She threw a cookie at him. "Dorkus."

"Oh that's saying a lot coming from you."

When Tomoyo woke up at six Monday morning, the designated time for weekdays, she couldn't shake off the idea that something of import was going to happen. She expressed this to Mistress and Mikkoku when she had breakfast with them before school.

"Something important?" Mistress asked. "Well, that just depends on your definition of important. No matter what something important could be considered to happen everyday."

"I think she's trying to say you are delusional, Tomoyo."

"Thanks, so much Mikkoku for your commentary."

"Really, Mikkoku, I was saying no such thing. It's too early in the morning to have a sense of humour."

"For you perhaps. By the way, your hair looks nice today, Tomoyo."

"You are just saying that because you gave these to me," she said referring to the silver chopsticks she had decided to wear that day. It was the first time she'd have worn something like that and she thought they were kind of nice, if a bit time consuming to get so much hair up with them.

"No, really, Tomoyo. I think I have to agree with him. They look rather lovely."

"Thank you, Mistress," Tomoyo said glancing down at her watch pendant. "I need to go. I have to deliver something to the main office before school."

"The rest of your registration packet?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Off with you."

"And try not to kill anyone, huh Tomoyo?" Mikkoku called after her with a laugh.

"It seems that the main office finds the empty desks in our room an eye sore. Or at least that is the impression I got when I heard this morning that we would be gaining another transfer student. Madison-san, I think you started a trend."

The rest of the class chuckled as Hiiragizawa-sensei wagged his finger at the young girl who merely smiled politely. Just a moment later there was a knock at the door and a boy came in and stood next to the desk facing the rest of the class. Hiiragizawa-sensei, who had been a teacher for many a year, tried desperately to hold back his laughter as he saw the damage that this did to the general demeanor of the class. That is until the raven haired beauty he had just been talking to dropped her pen and joined her fellow female classmates in a slack jawed look of female adoration.

"This is Syaoran Mikkokuson. He transferred here today, obviously, and like our last student, is also to remain here the full day. Care to add to that, Mr. Mikkokuson?"

Syaoran gave a knowing smile before he began to speak. He knew full well the affect he had on women, what with his well toned body, fierce blue eyes and long blonde hair that just happened to fall over his face so often. And the fact that the boy's uniform was black slacks, a white button up and blue tie that went with the blue jacket he had draped over one arm which looked so good on him, well, he was already enjoying this school.

"Well, I just moved here from Barcelona, Spain, where I've lived the past two years. I fence and play soccer. Oh, and I don't have a girlfriend at present."

At this last bit of information half the girls in the class sat up slightly straighter. The rest were obviously either taken or too dazed to do much. All except for a girl with lustrous black hair who was looking back and forth between him and the teacher as he spoke.

"With that said I think I'll skip the normal questions and just let you take your seat. The one behind Miss Hainsley will do. I know she has a boyfriend so don't flirt with her too much, Mr. Mikkokuson."

Cathy Hainsley, although it was very well known that she was dating in a long distance relationship, felt very aware of the fact that she might be tempted to wander towards a more physical relationship. As such she frequently looked a bit nervous whenever someone very attractive came by, afraid that she might be disloyal. She was, at this point, so nervous that she was looking around in desperation as to what to do. Syaoran noticed that she caught the eye of the girl directly beside her who winked. Then the girl looked up at him with the same considering eyes that she had shone a few minutes earlier when she alone had picked up on the odd tone the teacher had used a few moments earlier.

He looked back at her with unhidden interest. She seemed to melt under his gaze but merely smiled politely. She wasn't oblivious to him, but it was obvious that she wasn't going to be won over so quickly. He didn't mind. He liked to fight for the girls he liked and this raven haired beauty seemed to be the kind of person he would really liked. She was beautiful and obviously smart.

However, he couldn't have been sure that this girl was the one he had come to meet until he sat down and looked at Hiiragizawa-sensei who was watching him carefully. There was a very distinct message in his eyes that Syaoran heard loud and clear, even if it was only given to him for the briefest of seconds. After that barest of instants the teacher turned his gaze and by happenstance met the eyes of the beauty. She seemed very startled for a moment and stared back but quickly looked down and pretended to write.

Yes, Syaoran imagined that such a look would be very startling for a girl like that. And chances are she had no clue what it meant, for all that she was so obviously a smart girl.


	3. Recieving Rank

**Receiving Rank**

Even though the day had dawned with a clear blue sky the torrential rains were back shortly after lunch. Tomoyo, who was leaning on the sill during her free period, stood watching the storm and was much a feared that she was a bringer of rain. Or perhaps she had moved to a far more wet part of the country. She was afraid to ask anybody where exactly she was because they had for all intents and purposes accepted her without asking too much and she didn't want to have to explain that question away. She was also worried about her family because it had now been just over a week since she left home. Not her step family, she could care less about them, but her mother had a sister who loved Tomoyo dearly and would have easily welcomed her into her home if it was needed. She should probably call her.

It was around this time in her thoughts that Tomoyo came to notice that someone with an unfamiliar feel to them was standing very close behind her. She could almost feel the smirk on his lips and knew instinctively that this conversation was not going to be a fun one.

"Do you need something, Li-san?"

"So formal. Is that to make me go away?"

"I'm afraid it is for a more boring reason. I don't remember your first name since I only heard it once and I wasn't really attending. Aside of that, I was raised to always be polite."

He turned to lean his side on the sill beside her. "I think I can guess why," he replied with a slightly caustic tinge to his voice.

"A mite conceited too."

"Why not be? I know I look good. I have many people telling me how good I look everyday. There is no point in denying it. Especially when you indeed are good looking. Better to know thyself than to be stuck in ignorance."

"The next time I meet someone like that I'll inform them of your opinion directly."

Syaoran was about to say that he had, in fact, meant her but decided that it was pointless if she didn't already realize she was breathtaking. "It's Syaoran, by the way."

"Good to know. Now, is there a reason you have to talk to me Syaoran-san, when I am so obviously preoccupied with my thoughts?"

"Well, I though perhaps that you were lonely and everyone else was shunning you?"

He knew this for a lie since he knew that every male eye in the room glanced at her at least once or twice a minute and she knew it for a lie because she knew her classmates to not be the shunning kind.

"If you aren't going to be truthful I think I shall have to ignore you completely." Saying as much she turned back to watching the rain and seemed to not notice him any further. So pointed was her inattention to him that she didn't notice until it was too late that he had designs for a joke. Quickly he stepped behind her and pulled out both chopsticks from her hair and watched in sensuous pleasure as her hair tumbled down to its full length. It was petty, and not entirely like him. But there was always something to be said for not acting like yourself.

She turned around quickly, causing her hair to completely unwind, and glared at the boy. "What did you do that for?"

"Curiosity. It is such lovely hair you shouldn't keep it hidden up like that if you are going to have it so long."

"I keep it up because it gets annoying when it's down. Now give those back to me!"

"You could kill someone with these you know," he said factually as he handed them back without a fight.

"Very tempting, isn't it?"

"Where did you get them from?"

"A friend gave them to me. Now will you leave me alone?"

He looked at her with an unreadable look in his eyes. "I rather think I can't."

Aggravated she marched past him to the front desk where Hiiragizawa-sensei had been watching the interchange with much interest, as had the rest of the class. Discreetly the teacher looked down the length of her hair in appreciation but raised his eyes to meet hers when she finally came to his desk.

"Do you need something, Madison-san?"

"Yes, sir. May I go to the ladies room so I may put my hair back up?"

"Why did you take it down then?"

"I didn't! This...student...did," she said glaring at Syaoran. "As you well know."

"Better question. Why do you need to go to the ladies room to put it back up?"

"Because when you have as much hair as I do you need a mirror?"

"That seems to be rather troublesome and distracting for class time, Madison-san."

"Well, are you suggesting that I cut it all off then?"

"Heaven forefend. Anyway," he said returning to his papers, "go and hurry back."

Tomoyo glared at Syaoran once more and turned so quickly on her heal that the subject under discussion fluttered and hit both Syaoran and the desk before she had gone.

Syaoran reached up to touch his bare arm where the hair and hit him. "Like silk." He then turned to Hiiragizawa-sensei who had given up any pretense of doing work to look at the door through which she had just exited. Syaoran couldn't help but smirk at him. This caught the teacher's attention and he finally went back to grading papers.

"Tell me, Li-san, what was the purpose of that?"

"I had a feeling she'd be more beautiful with her hair all around her. I had to test my theory."

"I see. Go sit down now."

Syaoran turned to go but paused. "Tell me something, Hiiragizawa-sensei, what is your interest in Madison-san that you stare at her most of the time that both of you are in the room."

"You are imagining things. The only interest I have in her is that of a student. Please do not make unnecessary comments which could lead to rumors being spread."

"Oh, yeah. I bet," the student replied with a smirk.

And it was those same torrential rains that made Tomoyo pause before she opened the front doors to the school. Playing in the rain was one thing, but this was something completely different. She thanked the heavens that the mansion magickally cleaned her clothes every night but she would still have to suffer through cold wetness for another half hour at the least. The very least. Sighing and determining to bring an umbrella with her no matter what she made to open the door until an unfamiliar and vaguely unwelcome voice called her name. With a sigh she turned around.

"Yes, Syaoran-san?"

"Forgot your umbrella?"

"Forgot, no. It was beautiful when I left home. I didn't think I would need it."

"Then how 'bout I make up my rude behavior to you and walk you home, or as far as you'll let me take you. My umbrella is pretty big."

Tomoyo was about to say no, but the idea of being cold and wet was not very welcome. Chances are he didn't walk the same way as she did, and even if he did then she would just turn off at the alleyway and wait for him to leave before she did. Either way it saved her from some of the rain.

"All right."

He was surprised but hid it well. "Okay, then shall we?" He opened the door and the umbrella a bit before them then invited her under it. They walked slowly so not to kick up anymore splash from the puddles on the ground. It was big enough that they didn't have to huddle together but it still wasn't too comfortable for two practical strangers. They were saved from an even more uncomfortable conversation because the rain was too loud to be heard easily. After awhile they reached the alleyway and she stopped.

"This is my turn off."

"Oh, good. Mine too."

She was startled and wasn't quite sure how to handle the situation. She followed him in silence until he was halfway down the alley way and stopped. He turned to face her and brought up his spare hand. Grasping her silver moon pin he clearly said, "The Boarding House."

Startled, Tomoyo watched as the world around her melted away and reformed into the front porch of the mansion. He held her incredulous gaze as he closed the umbrella. They just stared at each other for more than minute before she started laughing.

"That explains a lot." Turning she opened the door. "Good afternoon Mistress, Mikkoku. I seem to have brought a boarder home with me."

"Ah yes we were expecting him."

"You could have warned me," she said as Mikkoku took her bag from her allowing her to take off her wet cloak and hang it up on the coat rack. She took Syaoran's and the umbrella as well before she took it back. "Thank you."

"That wouldn't have been as much fun, Tomoyo-chan. But thank you for bringing him home." She turned to Syaoran and looked as if she was about to say something and stopped. Then she asked, "What are you calling yourself these days?"

This question surprised Tomoyo a bit, if not anyone else but she listened as Syaoran answered. "Li Syaoran. I thought it would be appropriate to return to my real name for the time being."

"I wonder why," Mikkoku replied turning towards Tomoyo. "The usual?"

"Of course. I think I'll go ahead and change now. I'm cold. And my feet are wet." She turned and looked at Syaoran. "I'm sure I'll see you at dinner." Saying as much she quickly left the room.

It didn't escape Mistress' notice that both males followed her with their eyes until she was completely out of site. She bit back an amused smile. "I'll show you to your room, Syaoran," Mei Lin said, wrapping one arm around his neck affectionately.

"Thank you, Mei Lin," he replied, easily shrugging her arm off.

"And I'll go get tea."

"Oh I bought you some small cakes, Mikkoku."

He laughed. "Did you buy them for me or for her?"

"You imply that I don't like you."

"Not as much as you like her."

"That I won't deny."

Mikkoku smiled and turned to go towards the kitchen. However before he got too far he turned and looked at Syaoran. "You are interested in her aren't you?"

"She's why I'm here, more or less. I could smell her all the way in Hong Kong. That distinct smell of a young girl's awakening magick. The smells of tiger lilies and Jasmine. It was the Jasmine that drew me because that meant she was powerful. Not to mention that my intuition told me to come. Always follow intuition."

"Just don't do anything stupid. Or that she doesn't condone alright? I taught you better than that." So saying he continued until he reached the door. Then turning back with a look in his eyes far older than his childish body said, "And remember what I've taught you as you return to your real name."

"I surpassed his teachings some time ago. Still this is the welcome I get after being away for so long?"

"That is because you are messing with his new pet."

"Pet? No I think he's interested further than that."

"Perhaps."

"I think I'm going to enjoy my time here, Mei Lin."

"Not as much as I will," she said with a secret, knowing smile before she gestured for him to follow her to his room.

"Now you have to understand the value of watches for those who do magick, Tomoyo. Because everything flows on their own time, we have to be wary of the time we keep ourselves. And I don't mean time zones or minutes fast. In some places you may go an hour takes a day or a day lasts a second. It's almost inconsequential as long as we keep track of our own time."

"Yes, teacher," Tomoyo replied distractedly. She was looking at his pocket watch, the instigator of this discussion, not only because she thought it was funny that someone so young would be wearing one, but because it had an unusual element to it.

Mikkoku sighed. "I don't get the feeling that you are listening."

"Which proves you still have some time before you get to know me well. If I wasn't listening I wouldn't have replied." She held up his watch so that the exquisite engraving on the cover faced him. "Now, get back to the original question and tell me what this is."

She was talking about the large black bird in flight that was engraved, quite weirdly, onto his watch face. She couldn't readily identify the bird and, being quite intuitive, figured it had a special meaning or else it wouldn't be there.

"Alright. This is a black phoenix."

"Black? Do they come in black?"

"I have no idea."

"Then why do you have one?"

"Because it appeared there," he said calmly stirring their afternoon tea.

"Stop being cryptic or I'll smother you with a pillow. And trust me; with the pillows on that bed, it isn't that hard."

"Didn't mean to, Tomoyo. I was just speaking the truth. But I'll elaborate." He put down his tea and faced her completely. "Now you know how the past couple days I've been teaching you to find your aura?"

"I'd have to be an amnesiac not to. We spent almost ten hours on it yesterday."

"Yes, but now you can find it almost without effort."

"True. Which is kind of nice since it is all silvery and purple and the like. It makes me feel like some highly powerful being."

"Not to far away," he muttered. When Tomoyo asked what he said he just shook his head. "Now, all powerful magick users, which you are, have symbols of themselves. These are not symbols they themselves draw, but are symbols given to them. They denote power and are a way for people to be readily identified since so many powerful magick users tend to change their names."

"Okay. What about non-powerful?"

"Well, I think I should explain something. Everyone on earth, or practically so, can do some magick. Some have a better affinity for it and can do more, some are just…deformed and don't have any. But the most average person just doesn't have enough to be considered influential in the magick world, no do they want to. So it's no insult to them to not have a symbol for them."

"Alright. What's mine?"

"Well, how bout we figure that out. Now, this symbol will appear the first time in whatever form is most convenient for you to have it constantly on. Supposedly." He shrugged. "Anyway, find your aura. Once you do that stick your arms out towards me, palm to palm so they are horizontal."

Tomoyo concentrated and did as she was told.

"Now, try to concentrate fully on it. Try to make it flare out and be as powerful as you can make it."

Tomoyo concentrated. It was giving her a headache but in her mind she pictured the silvery purple light bursting like a bomb and filling the whole room. Mikkoku jumped when she did that. Because her eyes were closed she couldn't see that she had in fact sent her aura to every corner of the room, which, for the briefest of seconds, lit up almost blindingly.

"Now turn your hands so that your middle fingers are touching the opposite wrist." Watching as she did so he nodded to himself. "Now, you're done. Relax."

With a deep sigh she let her powers of concentration go and kind of wilted in front of her teacher, who was looking at her with a kind of deep respect. "What?"

"You have a good grasp on your powers. Almost too good for a beginner."

She just smiled brightly. "This isn't particularly hard, Mikkoku. It's almost like a game or something that you do in psychology class."

He just shook his head then pointed to her hands. "Let's see what you have got."

Opening up her hands, Tomoyo jumped a bit when she saw the silver shining back at her. The object had almost no weight to it and was bigger that it could possibly have been in her tightly clasped hands. After a moment of peering at it closely, she looked up at Mikkoku and handed it to him. "What is it?"

The boy's eyebrows shot up almost to his hair line. "I'm very impressed. This is the Silver Rain. It is an occurance that is only discussed in myths and legends." He outlined the perfect teardrop then moved his finger lightly to follow the clean swirl that wrapped itself inside the shape. "One ancient myth tells that whenever someone of legendary power is born silver rain that seems to have the very spirit of earth bound in it's droplets will rain from the sky. And since it is your symbol, it is obvious that this happened when you were born."

Tomoyo looked at him for a moment, then at the silver ornament in her hand. "You can't be serious."

"I'm not joking." He looked at his pocket watch, which played an almost eerie tune whenever it opened, then looked back at her. "It's time for me to go get ready for dinner." He stood up and went to the door as Tomoyo continued to look at what was apparently something rare to possess in her hand. Then before he left she looked up.

"By the way what is that song your watch plays?"

"Oh it's something I once heard off of a weird anime. It played in a pocket watch on the show, some watch that was supposed to designate fate. I thought it was appropriate." He smiled. "Finish your homework and get ready or else Mistress will be upset."

"Yes, your highness," she muttered looking down at the flower.

She was so engrossed with it that she didn't hear him mutter, "Not that she won't be when she sees that trinket of yours."

Unused to having to write essay's by hand, Tomoyo was almost late to dinner. Her homework took her so much longer in fact that she almost had a heart attack when she realized the time. Throwing her books to the side she quickly ran to the wardrobe and threw the doors open. She grabbed the first dinner-type dress she saw and quickly changed into it. To her vague dismay she realized that the dress was perhaps a bit too formal for dinner but she didn't have time to change into a new one. Running a brush through her hair she left it down rather than taking the time to pin it up and turned to rush out the door. Well, until she saw the silver gleam by the fire place. Tomoyo paused and bit her lip, wondering if she should just leave that for tomorrow since she didn't really have time to figure out how to wear it.

Picking it up, she examined the back, finding a silver loop on the back. "A necklace I guess...but what for the actual 'lace' part." She didn't have anything handy in her room, but she knew that Mistress kept some black ribbon in the sewing room upstairs, which was completely out of the way from the dinning hall. In desperation, Tomoyo decided to do something which she later learned she should be impressed about. For many reasons.

Scouring her mind, Tomoyo desperately tried to remember what Mikkoku did that day at breakfast. She concentrated on black ribbon and then hesitantly she knocked on the wood in front of her twice then snapped her fingers. When the ribbon appeared in the air beside her she breathed a sigh of relief. Tomoyo snatched it from the air and made for the door. As she ran through the mansion, her long flowing skirt billowing after her, her hair brushing her face as she tried to put on her newly made necklace, it might have come to a surprise to her the reaction that those who saw her had. Admittedly they were non-corporeal and, quite often, long dead, but still she might have been quite pleased to see the faces of shock and admiration. But since she didn't she made the long trek from her upstairs bedroom to the downstairs dinning hall.

So close did she cut it, that it was as the Grand Clock was tolling the first bell of the hour that she stopped to right her appearance once again, then opened the doors as the bell tolled six. She sighed in relief and smiled at her fellow occupants. Mistress Mei Lin, who had been standing up so she could ceremoniously lock the door, barring Tomoyo's entrance had she been a moment later, took one look at her, or more precisely her new choker, and dropped the glass of wine she had been holding. It seemed to take forever to fall and shattered when it landed, sending colourful crystal pieces in every direction.

Everyone looked at Mistress for a second. The rest of the room was not as close as she was and was not afforded the better look of the strange new symbol clasped to Tomoyo's neck. Still, Mikkoku had guessed this reaction and quickly twiddled his fingers until all the shards picked themselves up and deposited in the waste basket. He didn't try to hide his amusement either. Sakura and Syaoran were at a bit of a loss though, as was Tomoyo who immediately rushed over to Mistress.

"Mistress, are you alright? Do I need to get you something? You look like you were going to faint!"

While Tomoyo pattered on unnecessarily, Mistress kept her eyes on the silver ornament until she tipped her head back in laughter.

"Oh, I should have known." She turned towards Mikkoku. "You knew didn't you? When did she make it?"

"Knew? Yes and no. Not that one in particular of course came to mind, but of course I knew. And this afternoon, silly."

Mistress nodded her head and then turned back to Tomoyo who was vaguely confused but knew that this had something to do with her new symbol of magick. Smiling softly Mistress patted Tomoyo on the back and ushered her to her chair.

"Forgive me, my dear, I was just a bit startled."

"That's okay...," she replied hesitantly. She turned to smile politely at Syaoran who had risen to pull out her chair, which was, dubiously, beside his. He too paused and took a long look at her necklace. However, he hid his surprise better, only letting his eyes widen a bit before gesturing for her to take her seat.

"I knew there was something special about you, Madison-san. However, I hope this doesn't change anything and you won't completely deny my presence now that you are high and mighty."

As an answer, Tomoyo turned to Sakura. "Sakura-chan, I get off from school early tomorrow, open house or something at school, would you like to have a tea party with me after you get home?"

The young girl smiled brilliantly, "I'd love to Tomoyo-san. Can I come to your room this time?"

"Nothing else will do."

While the girls smiled at each other, the other three occupants of the room had looks of deep consideration as they ate their dinner. Their faces were readable to each other, if not to the young girls, and each one conveyed a sense of awe and anticipation. If Syaoran had a face more towards interest and bemusement and Mistress one more towards jealousy, if the affable kind, it was no wonder that Mikkoku seemed to be thoroughly amused. However, no one spoke anything aloud about the newly acquired jewelry and dinner proceeded as it always had.

The time soon came for Mistress Mei Lin to shoo Sakura to bed. Everyone bid her goodnight and Syaoran even so much as went forward to kiss her lightly on the cheek, causing the younger girl to blush scarlet before skipping after the Mistress. Syaoran smiled softly before turning to Tomoyo, his face once more composed. "Come with me out into the gardens. It's been a long time since I've been here and even longer since I've been in the gardens."

"Syaoran-san, it's cold and wet outside," she replied smiling. "I'm not looking too keenly to get pneumonia."

"Come on. I'll show you something special, if it's still there. And I need a chance to better your impression of me. I was a bit rude earlier and I wish to rectify the situation."

"Don't let him fool you. He's either playing small jokes or being completely grumpy to everyone," Mikkoku chimed in.

Tomoyo laughed as Syaoran glared at him. "All right, but only for a little while. I have to get to school early to type the English paper."

Syaoran allowed a small smile to grace his lips in response. Then he rose, took her hand, placed it on his arm and escorted her from the room with a slightly protective air. Mikkoku watched all of this with amusement and made his own way out of the room with a last look at where the crystal shards had fallen.

"It should be right over...here!"

Syaoran was leading Tomoyo through the surprisingly well lit hedge maze to the right of the house. He seemed more determined to get her lost than to find the center, or perhaps the other exit, which did cause Tomoyo to wonder about him until he exclaimed out a few seconds ago.

"A statue?" she asked, looking at the life sized statue of a woman leaning back, arms thrown wide, in a billowy dress, obviously enjoying something about the elements around her. Maybe the frostbite.

"Yes a statue, but more. Look." Crouching to the ground he looked for a moment then pushed on one of the flowers ornamenting the hem of her dress. A moment later the whole section around the flower slid forward and revealed a hideaway drawer.

"Fascinating," Tomoyo breathed as she crouched down and tried to examine just how that occurred.

"Are you looking for a mechanism, Tomoyo?" he laughed. "It's a bit of magick. It will only work for magick users.

"Oh," she replied, looking at the stone for a moment longer. "I guess that would make you one as well, huh."

"Correct. It runs in my family more or less. Still, you seem to have your fair share of power yourself," he said pointing a finger at her necklace.

Fingering it, she seemed hesitant for a moment, then rather than replying she reached her hand into the dark area of the drawer. She pulled out a small leather bound book with old pages. Then another one, very similar with slightly older pages. They both had names engraved in silver lettering. Reaching her hand in she looked to see what else there was in there and, finding nothing, stood up.

"Let's see. 'Li Xiao Lang' is on the newer book and..." she squinted her eyes to try to make out the more faded letters, "'Clow Reed.'"

"The first one is mine," Syaoran said, reaching over to take it from her hands.

"Your real name is Xiao Lang?"

"It is my proper Chinese name. Still, I don't usually use it," he replied with an instructing tone. "In the magick world we are more often known by our symbol than by our names."

"And your symbol would be...?" She scanned through his person looking for something to identify him by.

"Do you want to see the original or the copy?" he asked with a sudden spark of humour in his eyes.

"What's the difference?"

"The copies don't tend to be quite as detailed as the original."

"Original...I guess."

Before she knew it he had taken off his shirt.

Tomoyo's first reaction was shock, of course. However, she was a woman and this man standing in front of her had the body of someone who kept very active so she didn't mind so much. She briefly let her eyes roam all over his well toned muscles until he turned so that his right arm was facing her.

Tomoyo reached out to trace the intricate design with her finger. It was a large black wolf that rested his head on his forearm right below the shoulder and stretched the length of his arm, as if leaping at prey until his tail wrapped around Syaoran's wrist. The detail was so precise down to the claws that seemed to be digging into his skin, that it almost looked like there was a real wolf there.

"Please stop that, you are giving me goose bumps," Syaoran said after the second time she had followed the wolf down his arm with her fingers.

Tomoyo, not realizing what she had been doing, pulled her hand away quickly. "Sorry! But it's beautiful. Really just absolutely fascinating. You got a tattoo? That's just so…extreme and…yet very cute."

Syaoran could barely hold his blush to a minimum and only managed through the slight amusement she provided. "It's not uncommon. Well it is but it isn't. The highest rank of magick users usually get tattoos as well when they get their symbol. Mikkoku has one."

"Seriously? I really must see that. Though I can't really imagine such a small boy with a tattoo. It's rather funny."

"Yeah. Um. Can I put my shirt back on?"

"I don't know, you look rather good with it off."

Syaoran turned a bright shade of scarlet before pulling his shirt back over his chest. He had always been quite used to being topless since his training had so often called for it. But rarely had anyone been so bold as to comment.

"Ahem, anyway. Still you owe me tit for tat now."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I showed you mine, you show me yours," he replied, the confidence creeping back into his voice.

Holding her necklace again she looked kind of confused. "What do you mean, Syaoran? It's right here. You saw it at dinner."

"Ah, but didn't I tell you that you were quite powerful?"

"You said something like that, not that I'm too keen on just believing it, but what does that have to do with it."

"Idiot. Show me your tattoo."

Her eyes almost fell out they widened so far.

"My tattoo? I'm a minor!"

Syaoran smirked. "Those things don't matter in our world. I'll let you show it to me later, I guess. And it's not that I'm perverted and want to see you uncovered. Really, I want a good look at it, Silver Rain."

She saw the raw curiosity in his eyes and knew instinctively that he there was something more to it than that. Instead of agreeing to that she asked him a question, the first that came to mind.

"You said highest rank? How many more symbols, traditionally speaking, are considered highest rank?"

He smiled as he led her back through the maze to the house. "You are correct to say traditionally. While the number of symbols changes from generation to generation since some of the higher orders can achieve immortality or delayed death and so last longer, and some of the lower orders can die more quickly from their magick use. And of course, global population rising. All this added in there are new symbols being created as we speak.

"However, the highest rank, so to speak, always consists of twenty fixed symbols, ranked twenty to one, lowest to highest."

They were at the house now and Tomoyo, while interested, was tired and cold and wanted nothing more than to be huddled in her bed, wanted a quick ending to their conversation.

"So if you say I have a tattoo that would mean I am highest rank as well?" she asked. When he nodded she continued. "How many people are higher than I am?."

"Two higher, one equal."

"There are only two?" she asked incredulously. Then she shook her head with disbelief. "Whatever. Never mind I'm going to bed."

He watched her walk off until she was swallowed by the darkness.

"Black Phoenix, Black Wolf, Silver Rain and MoonStar."


	4. Some Minor Readjustments

Some Minor Readjustments

Tomoyo drew in a deep breath as she stood outside the doors of the Halloween Ball. Nervously she drew hands over her hair, which had been pinned up into a beautiful mountain of black with a silver moon ornament. She twitched the skirt of the beautiful long silver dress the mistress had given her to wear just a couple hours ago. It was made of purest silk and seemed to flow like water around her skin. More, it was almost entirely backless. "To show off your pride," Mistress had said.

And pride it was. The Silver Rain which had shown itself on her right shoulder blade as if it had always been there. The Silver Rain that she had been told about in the intervening weeks with such great detail that she felt more humble than proud of its illustrious appearance. She had no clue how fast she was learning what took others years to learn. She had no inkling of how very much she deserved her marking. But then, Tomoyo knew everything instinctively except what was good about herself. And as such she found herself standing nervously in front of doors she had often thrown open.

On the other side of those doors were strangers to her. Many people from all over the world, and places not really of the world, who were home to magick. They were all people who had been doing what she had just learned for years. People who would judge her by the mark she bore so effortlessly on her back. People who undoubtedly wouldn't think she deserved it. People who would think her proud and uppity. People she really didn't want to meet.

She almost ran.

But rather she saw Syaoran coming towards her down the hallway. Also in the past two weeks she had struck up a friendship to the raffish character. He was charming and utterly lovable. Sexy as hell, too. She couldn't help feeling attracted to him and couldn't help wondering what he thought about her, even if it was painfully obvious to everyone BUT her. So when she saw him coming towards her, looking devastatingly gorgeous in a white tuxedo she couldn't help but feel better. Especially when he bowed in front of her, taking her hand to kiss.

"You make the very stars envious, Tomoyo-san."

"I sincerely doubt it."

"Which is your only fault."

She smiled. "No my only fault is having for the first time a lack of courage."

"You? Being cowardly? I refuse to believe it."

Taking a deep breath Tomoyo centered herself. She managed to at last throw away her fears. "Good. If you did then I would have gone running. Shall we?"

He opened the door in front of her. "After you."

Tomoyo walked through the beautiful cherry doors and stepped further into her new world. Syaoran quickly stepped up to take her arm and introduce her to everyone nearby. For the next half hour she found herself being introduced to Counts and Duchesses, Ladies and Sultans, '-sama's and Misses. Almost every race could be seen and almost every language was being spoken. Thankfully one of the spells Mikkoku had quickly taught the over bright girl was one to master all languages. She managed to smile blindingly and impress a Queen with her politeness.

After awhile she was taken aside with some other girls her age to talk about their costumes, hers was a Moon Beam according to Mistress, about boys and about what school they were going to. Many asked what it was like to be living at the infamous Boarding House and some asked what it was like to be escorted by Black Wolf. Tomoyo could hardly answer one question before another was asked and she wished within her soul that she had taken the advice of wearing a mask so that she could feel on equal footing as those who did. So many people around her had covered faces and had kept themselves secret. But everyone knew her now and she for the first time in her life prayed for anonymity.

Just when she was about to become overwhelmed to the point of break down she found herself looking at an outstretched hand. When she followed it back to its owner she found someone else in a mask. But it was only a half mask and did not hide the almost sarcastic sympathy that showed itself in his smile.

"Tomoyo-sama of the Silver Rain, might I have this dance?"

Swallowing hard at the raw sensuality in his voice, Tomoyo barely managed to nod her assent. She carefully placed her hand in his and let him sweep her onto the floor. It was a waltz, something she thankfully knew by heart or else she might have made a fool of herself further, having no head to pay attention to her feet anymore.

"Thank you,...am I permitted to ask your name?"

"You are welcome and you are not."

"Figures," she smiled. "Did I look that much like I needed rescuing?"

"My dear Silver Rain you looked like you were about to drown."

"More like someone just gave me a pop quiz on astrophysics and telling me I had to get an A or else die."

He looked at her for a long moment then threw his head back and laughed. "Only you would say something like that, Tomoyo-sama."

"Do I know you?" she asked, dying of curiosity and a bit of uneasiness at the way he seemed so familiar with her.

"Yes and no. You know of me but then you don't really know me."

"You are absolutely no fun." But she didn't mean it. Having a mystery to solve was something to take her mind off being the center of attention. Especially when the mystery was so obviously handsome. And felt so good to be in the arms of.

"Liar," he smiled, reading her thoughts. "But I'll give you this hint. You know me well enough but would not know me if I took of my mask."

She frowned. "That doesn't make much sense." However, wheels inside of her head were turning. Tomoyo was very smart and was deadly quick with these sorts of riddles. And so it was only a moment or so really that she came upon an idea.

"Tell me, do you have a tattoo?"

"My, you are quick. Do you want to see it?"

"AH ha I was right. No I think I'll let myself pretend I'm smart. Knowing my luck I'd be completely off."

"Probably not. I bet you are right-"

But he was cut off as Syaoran came up to them. "Tomoyo-san, you promised to come sit with me when they served the food."

"Oh. I didn't realize they had, Syaoran-san, I'm sorry." She turned to her dancing partner again. "I'm sure I'll see you around," she said before she left with Syaoran glaring back at him.

And he watched them go, making his way off the dance floor. "No fair that he always goes off with the prize. But I'll have her yet, Wolf." Sighing he looked around at the rabble and paused long enough to look at his pocket watch, carefully engraved with a Black Phoenix, before he left the ballroom.

"Mikkoku, how old are you?"

"Older than you think, Tomoyo," he answered as he sipped his tea. "But that is as honest an answer as you will get."

"No fair." She stuck her tongue out at him. "If you are too much older I can't think of you as a little brother. So perhaps I'd better not know." She smiled at her cookie. "I like having a younger brother so much. Or perhaps a sibling at all worth anything."

Mikkoku merely looked at her for a long time, but didn't say anything. She was a silly little girl about some things and he doubted that would ever change. After a moment he put down his tea.

"I'm afraid that is the end of lessons though, Tomoyo. I'll work you extra hard tomorrow but I have extra homework I need to get done." He rose and smiled down at her. "Besides, every other tutor was envious at me on Halloween a few days ago. They were positively astounded with how much you have learned in so little time." He smirked. "You make me look bad."

She just rolled her eyes. "Go, be studious. Do homework. Meanwhile I'm going back to longing desperately for a computer and printer."

He chuckled. "How bout tomorrow I teach you a printing spell?"

"Really?" she gasped. "I'd love you more than life if you did."

His eyes grew serious, if his smile did not. "Liar. But that will be the first lesson. Later."

Tomoyo smiled at the door for awhile longer. That was the first time in the past few days where he had even mentioned going to the ball at all. It didn't confirm anything but it was still a clue.

The torrential rains had returned. Yet, even though November had settled in, Tomoyo really didn't care. She walked up to the roof and stepped out into the ice cold rain. That morning she had received a call from her step-father. A few weeks ago she had called the only relative of hers who really cared of her existence, her Aunt Nadeshiko, to tell her she was all right and that she had found a place to live and was going to school, but that she wouldn't be going home for awhile. Her Aunt Nadeshiko was concerned but seemed to be relieved. When Tomoyo asked why, her aunt merely replied that she knew the place quite well and that she was glad she had ended up at that particular place of all the ones to go to.

The conversation with her step-father had been painful. That bastard had called her names and tried to make her seem like the bad guy. However, in the end he just wanted to make it clear to her that she was not welcome back in his home and that everything she had left behind was now his under the eyes of the law. When she hung up the phone she felt drained and cold inside. Even the light teasing of Syaoran or the warm smiles of Mikkoku couldn't make her feel better as she left for school. So at lunch instead of going to the cafeteria she made her way into the frigid storm.

Silently she walked across the roof, between the various tables and chairs set up for people to have lunch on, until she reached the metal bars that prevented anyone from falling over the edge too easily. Next to them was a stone bench that she heavily sank down on and looked out into nothingness. In her mind she cursed herself as stupid for letting that bastard get to her. She never considered his house home and she never wanted him. But in her heart she knew she had at last found out the answer to the question she had been asking for years. Had he really wanted her? No. And now she would have trouble getting the small but precious things that her mother had so carefully left to her. Now she had no past. She didn't have a home to go to now, just a boarding house.

Tomoyo had been so engulfed in her thoughts that she jumped almost dramatically when she felt someone put their hand on her shoulder. Quickly she turned around and looked as she breathed heavily at the soaked figure of Hiiragizawa-sensei.

"Madison-san, you are going to get hypothermia if you stay out here too much longer. What will your parents think?"

Tomoyo just looked at him for a long moment then started to laugh. She knew very well what her ''parent" would think. He'd lock her out in the rain if he had a choice. But then all a sudden it was too much. Before she had even thought about it she had thrown herself against Hiiragizawa-sensei and started sobbing. The poor teacher looked confused for a moment, and even stopped to look around, as if to confirm that no one would see and charge him with sexual harassment, before putting his arms around her and petting her hair in hopes that she would calm down.

"I'm sorry, Madison-san, if I said something stupid. But you really need to calm down and come inside," he said after a moment.

Tomoyo pulled away and looked up at him as the rain fell on both of them so hard that she could actually barely hear what he said. Quietly she nodded and allowed him to lead her off the roof. When he had closed the doors behind them he turned to make sure she had stopped crying.

"Do you want me to take you to the nurse?"

She shook her head. The last thing she wanted was to be petted and bothered. Or called a damn fool for doing something so obviously stupid.

"Well, why don't you come to my office then and I'll get you a blanket and some tea or coffee or something? It'll warm you up a bit, I hope."

Tomoyo gave her teacher a watery smile. "Thank you. That would be nice."

He smiled and led the way to his office. Once there he took her coat from her, giving her a woven throw to wrap around her shoulders and asked her what her drink of choice was.

"Tea, thank you." Tomoyo huddled into the warm blanket which smelled like the man standing not to far from her. He was soaking wet now and more irreparably because he wasn't wearing a long coat like she had been. "I'm sorry to cause you all this trouble."

He waved his hand at her as he poured some hot water into a mug. "Nonsense. It's my job."

"I hope the pay is good," she laughed.

"Heh. No."

"Then why do you do it?"

"I have my reasons," he said looking at her with imperceptible eyes.

"I'm sorry; I guess that was rather personal question." She took the tea he offered her and took a sip from it. It warmed her down to her soul, she thought. After a moment she looked at his soggy appearance. "Do you have anything to change into?"

"I think I can manage something."

For a moment they were both silent. "How did you know where I was, Hiiragizawa-sensei?"

Hiiragizawa-sensei was groping for an answer that made sense. "I saw you get your coat and wondered why. I checked outside then the roof after that."

"Really?"

"...What do you think, Madison-san?"

She got quiet a moment as a smile grew on her lips. For a moment she only sipped her tea and looked at the handsome man in front of her. She knew he was lying because he hadn't had enough time to check outside before going up to the roof in the time between when lunch had started and when he appeared. He had seen her go up the stairs. He had been following her. Again.

"Why is it that you like me so much, Hiiragizawa-sensei?"

Hiiragizawa-sensei looked a little incredulous for a moment but finally broke into a low chuckle. "Because it's you. That is the only reason I can give, Madison-san, because that is the only one I know."

"And because it's me you risk getting hypothermia and let me cry on you?"

"I guess."

"You know I could file sexual harassment charges against you."

He looked at her seriously for a moment. "And will you?"

She shook her head. "That would defeat the purpose I think. Seeing as I don't really mind your attentions."

For a moment, Hiiragizawa Eriol seemed to be taking that in. Then he quietly asked, "Why were you standing out there?"

"Because now I can't even pretend that there is a warm family waiting for me. I'm alone in the world now."

"All alone?"

Tomoyo thought about Mikkoku and Syaoran and Mistress and Sakura. Even her aunt. "I guess not. I live with some interesting people." Then the bell rang for her to go to her next class. She put the mug down on his desk and the blanket on the chair. "Thank you, Hiiragizawa-sensei. I hope you don't catch cold."

"I'm pretty resilient. But make sure you don't."

She just shrugged before grabbing her coat and leaving.

After school she told Syaoran to go home without her. He was pretty worried about her and didn't want to be she told him that she had a paper to print out and that she'd be home shortly. Eventually he left and she made her way, stupidly, again to the rooftop. She opened the door and looked out into the rain. As she was taking a step someone pulled on her wrist. Turning around she looked down at Hiiragizawa Eriol and smiled sadly. He reached past her and closed the door firmly.

"Why, Tomoyo-san, do you want to do that?"

"Because I feel cold inside. It makes sense to feel cold outside. Gives balance."

He kind of laughed. "No, you just need to warm up your insides."

She looked up at him with teary eyes. "How?"

He didn't answer her in any way she had expected. Instead he pushed her against the door and bent down to kiss her with every bit of warmth that he had.

For the next few days, Tomoyo was laid up with an extremely high fever. If it weren't for a spell long ago placed on the Boarding House that prevented people from dying of ''natural" causes, she might have been rushed to the hospital. After the inflamed kiss which lasted for a few minutes, becoming more and more passionate until both parties suddenly realized who and where they were and broke apart, Tomoyo rushed out into the elements again. Instead of going straight home she stood outside in the freezing rain until she caught her breath and realized that what had just happened really had happened. It was because of this twice fold rush into the elements that she contracted such a heavy cold.

No one asked her why she had stayed out in the rain so long, though that was partially due to the fact that she was barely sensible half the time, the rest she was unconscious. Instead everyone did their part to look after her, the House, Spinel Sun and Sakura included. Mistress came in and gave her medicine every few hours, Sakura came and talked with her, knowing, beyond her years, that having some grasp of reality can help someone who is losing theirs, and Spinel Sun merely curled up beside her all the long hours that Tomoyo was confined to her bed. The boys were near useless so worried about her they were. Syaoran did his part by bringing home her homework and explaining it to their teachers. Mikkoku really didn't do much aside of occasionally feeding her. Instead he just sat with her looking very worried. But then, what could someone so small do?

Eventually however, Tomoyo regained herself enough so that on the Saturday following the Incident, she managed to go through the house by herself. Spinel Sun followed her around wherever she went and Mistress took to coddling her a bit, but otherwise she was back to normal. She spent most of the day doing all her make up work, after convincing Mikkoku she was well enough to do learn that printer spell they had discussed previously. And she used her makeup work as an excuse to be alone. In her head she kept reliving the kiss over and over again. She didn't regret it, but couldn't help feel that he did. She also knew that it was wrong, but couldn't help but feel hopeful still. Her mind was whirling in circles and she didn't quite know what she should do or how she should act at school on Monday.

As such, when Mikkoku knocked on her door with a tea set in tow, she was pleased and full heartedly invited him in.

"You worried us, Tomoyo. We were all quite afraid that you were going to shuffle off your mortal coil."

Tomoyo made a face. "I would be eternally mortified if I died from a cold. Though I promise not to be so foolish again."

"Ah, and that is the material point. Why were you so foolish to begin with? You have never been before."

She didn't know how to answer. Her eyes dropped and eventually made their way to the windows of her room which showed dark grey clouds and a dark world in general. "Promise not to tell a soul, Mikkoku?"

"Such a dark secret then? But yes, you may trust me."

"I know I can trust you, Mikkoku," she said sipping her tea. "You are probably the first person I could call family."

He smiled somewhat darkly but merely said, "So tell me already."

"You remember that teacher we talked about when I first came here?"

"The one who kept staring at you?"

"Yeah."

"What about him?"

"He kissed me?"

Mikkoku raised his eyebrows. "Really now?" He looked at her for a moment. "Ah, but I get the feeling that this is not all you have to tell."

She smiled at him. "Who are you that you are so smart, Mikkoku?"

"The Black Phoenix."

She rolled her eyes. "But you are right of course. It's not that he kissed me. It's that I liked it. A lot."

"Which is probably problematic."

"The whole teacher student issue."

"Well, the question is, do you want to stop him if he tries it again."

"Not the question, the problem."

He laughed softly. "And for this you nearly killed yourself?"

"Unsympathetic meanie."

"Tomoyo, you know that I hold you dear and thus, am not unsympathetic. However, would it sound too corny if I told you to follow your heart and your instincts?"

"Just a little corny."

"Sorry."

"But maybe I should try to forget him. Perhaps I should follow some other...paths open to me."

"Is that what you...want to do?"

"No clue."

"Okay now I'm unsympathetic. Make up your mind before you get problematical, Tomoyo." He stood up and headed towards the door. "Eat your dinner in here tonight so that you can be all better for school tomorrow. And lessons will start again tomorrow as well so don't forget to come home and instead decide to stand in the freezing rains for thirty minutes. Okay?"

"Yes, teacher."

The next morning when Tomoyo locked eyes with her homeroom teacher she shivered. The look he afforded her made it obvious that he didn't regret his actions. If anything he only regretted it being stopped. She found it hard not to return such a look and so turned away from him. She smiled at Syaoran, pondering whether or not she should turn to him for her love life. He seemed interested and he was already a good friend. But was he a good kisser?

Tomoyo tried to shake the thought from her head but they kept springing up at the most inopportune moments. Every time she heard Hiiragizawa Eriol's voice she shivered with excitement and every time she looked at Syaoran she wondered what she would feel with him. There were those times when she could swear he wasn't looking for love from her, but she couldn't gage exactly from the looks in his unreadable eyes. After awhile she couldn't help but laugh at how slutty she sounded mentally. So like a good girl she went straight home with Syaoran and avoided the obvious ploy Hiiragizawa-sensei made to get her to be alone with him. She went home and did her homework, had her tea and lessons. By and by, life returned to normal for a time.

Learning printer spells didn't solve the problem of using Power Point from home. So Tomoyo found herself staying late after school one evening. She forewarned Mistress and the rest of the household that she probably wouldn't be home until the school kicked her out, which hopefully wouldn't be until she was done. The principal was sympathetic to her needs and told her that he would speak with one of the teachers about staying behind until she was finished up. It was well after dark when Tomoyo finally popped the floppy out of the drive and sat back with a happy sigh.

Quickly she gathered up her things and went to the main office to see which teacher it had been. Since Fujiktaka-san didn't know who would be able to stay late until school was going to end he told her to check the office when she was done and he would leave a letter telling her who she had to check in with when she was done so they could close up the school. She had a sense of foreboding as she opened the envelope. Without looking she knew that a VERY familiar name would be written on the paper.

Without rush, Tomoyo made her way to his office, where, as expected, light showed from under his door. With a sigh she knocked lightly.

"Come in, Madison-san."

Tomoyo opened the door only enough for her to stick her head in. "I'm finished."

He looked at the clock. "Certainly took long enough. Why didn't you just stay after tomorrow instead of staying this late?"

"I don't like to have things hanging over my head."

"You could have fooled me, Madison-san."

And he was right. It had been near two weeks since she returned to school from her bout of the fever. She had studiously avoided him since then and kept very much in the company of Syaoran, trying to gauge her feelings towards him.

"I didn't think it was appropriate to have any further discussion on that subject, Hiiragizawa-sensei."

He sighed. "Come in and sit down. Your feet must be getting tired."

"True, but I'm safer out here."

"Are you so sure?" he asked with meaning in his voice.

"I think I'll sit."

"Wise choice."

He watched her intently as she sat across from him and primly crossed her ankles. She felt extremely conscious of herself, as well as him, and the way the whole atmosphere seemed to crackle with electricity.

"Now that you have me where you want me-"

"Hardly," he interrupted.

"-What do you wish to say?" she persevered.

"I merely wanted to ask your opinion on the subject."

"I already said that I thought it was inappropriate."

"For the moment, Tomoyo, put propriety to the side."

"Is that what you want, Hiiragizawa-sensei?"

"I think what I want has been made clear since day one. And call me Eriol."

She blinked. That was a step she wasn't sure she wanted to take, as thrilling as all this was. If she called him by his first name she was admitting that they were far more intimate than a teacher and student should be.

He seemed to read her thoughts and smiled seductively. "You know you want to."

"Hiiragizawa-SENSEI. You are my teacher."

"Yes, we've established this fact."

"Do you realize how much trouble you could get in?"

"Do you think I care?"

"What about me?"

"Well, see, everything depends on you and what you think."

"What do you mean?" she asked cautiously.

"Well, if you find it distasteful and gross I promise to never be alone with you, to never look at you except when addressing you in class nor to ever mention anything of the subject ever again."

"You are serious?"

"As a heart attack."

She looked at him for a long moment then very plainly asked him something that had been on her mind since the very first.

"Before I say anything, honestly, why me? Why all this time?"

"Because you are you. Everything about you from the first moment I laid eyes on you told me that down to your soul you were beautiful."

"I'm hardly beautiful, Eriol."

He smirked when he heard the name she let slip. "Yes you are. You just don't know it."

"So you wanted me from first sight?"

"Yes."

"With what kind of intentions? If I may be so bold."

He couldn't help but laugh. This was not a conversation he ever really hoped he'd be able to have, she being the sort who kept to herself and stayed distantly polite. He didn't know how long his good luck would last and didn't want to spoil it.

"With every intention of falling in love."

Tomoyo gasped. Whatever she had been expecting that wasn't it. Never in her wildest imaginings did she think that anyone would say something like that to her. Of course she wasn't the most self-aware and didn't know how many people were thinking along similar lines. But still it was at those words that she very carefully did what she did next.

Shakily she stood up and walked over to him. She did nothing more than stand next to his chair and look down at him and say, "Okay."

He smiled brilliantly at her and drew her down onto his lap where he proceeded to show her how good a choice she had made.

Syaoran stormed in on her while she was reading the diary of Clow Reed. She had been reading it the past few days and everyone thought it was amusing that she was interested in such an old diary. Mikkoku had asked her what she thought of it and she said she was fascinated with it. Reading diaries are always great, especially that of magick users.

But on that day in the first week of December she was interrupted. Quite roaringly too.

"What kind of foolish idiotic thoughts are you having, Tomoyo Madison-san?! Are you trying to get in trouble? Or him perhaps? What are you THINKING?"

Tomoyo calmly put down the journal and looked at him steadily. She had pretty much gathered what he was talking about from what he had said.

"It's our business, Syaoransan."

"A TEACHER?!"

"What about it? I hear it's not uncommon."

"Yeah, with brainless idiots who have complexes."

"Syaoran-san, it really isn't your business. How did you even find out?"

Tomoyo was really curious because in reality they hadn't done much. Since the incident in his office that first time two weeks previous, they had only had one more encounter like it. Aside of that day. Though he did have a sweet side and wrote letters to her.

"I SAW you, Tomoyo. In his office. There is a WINDOW in that door of his you know. And you were sitting in his LAP. I thought it was weird that you decided to stay after school real suddenly today but I figured I could get some work done and maybe accompany you home. But I had to ask Hiiragizawa-sensei a question." He raked his hand through his hair. "Boy some answer I got."

She just looked at him. She had no clue really why he was so angry. She assumed he knew she was smart enough to think something through before she did it. Maybe he didn't.

"Alright, Syaoran-san, that's all well and good. But still, what does it have to do with you?"

He looked at her incredulously. "Are you insane? Or just as oblivious as you seem?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm worried about you! Is that so hard to understand? You are my friend," he yelled. "There. Is that answer enough?"

Tomoyo looked at him with wide eyes. In all reality she didn't know he had such a depth of feeling since he really didn't seem to care nor did she know what to do with the situation. At first she was just "dating" Eriol because she was kind of flattered and a bit lonely. But now....

"I'm sorry Syaoran-san. I didn't mean for you to find out like you did. And I especially didn't realize you'd be so worried."

"Now that's insulting, Tomoyo-san. If nothing else I thought we were friends. Friends care about such things. Especially since I didn't even get to do that whole, 'If you hurt her I splatter your innards all over the universe' bit."

"I really am sorry, Syaoran-san. I didn't mean to hurt you. And you ARE my friend. I just didn't think you were interested."

"Well, I am!" He sighed. "And this whole dating a teacher is bad enough, Tomoyo-san. Don't you realize that if you got caught he would get fired? He wouldn't even be able to get a job anywhere else either probably."

She had thought about that but she didn't care at first. Lately though it had been weighing down on her. "I know."

"You can't keep doing this Tomoyo-san. If I found out then...what about teachers? Or other students?"

She sighed. "I was thinking about breaking it off actually. I just really didn't know how to do it."

"Well, why don't you tell him that you decided to go out with boys your own age?"

She looked at him. "Oh?"

He sat down on the bed in front of her. "Listen Tomoyo-san. I didn't tell you before but something in my intuition tells me to stay close to you. For some reason I think you are supposed to lead me to someone. So, do the whole two weeks with me. Pretend to be normal boyfriend girlfriend with me for two weeks. If I don't find anything, we'll stop and you are no worse off. But at least until Winter Holidays you shouldn't be dating a teacher. And it should fix your problem. If you decide that you want to date me more he can understand that right?"

She looked down at her hands. "All right. But let me talk it over with him first."

He actually afforded her the first genuine smile he had shown her. He kissed her briefly on the cheek then left her room, to do what she didn't know or really care. Really she liked Eriol and didn't want to end the relationship. But she liked Syaoran too and he seemed to really need her help in addition to her feeling she really should give it. She also knew it had to end. Tomoyo felt suddenly very tired and surprisingly lonely. She walked over to the armoire and put on her long black hooded cloak. Winding her way through the house she finally made it to the French doors which opened out into the hedge maze.

It was already very dark outside and she felt almost as if the black was going to swallow her. Finally she found the center of the maze which had a fountain and stone bench. Being outside in the stillness of winter nights helped calm her raging emotions. Deep down she knew she as making a good choice and she knew that she wanted to help Syaoran enough to make it a great choice. But it was those very emotions that scared her. Why did she feel like she should help Syaoran that much when she cared so much about someone else? What was it she was supposed to do?

After she had been outside for probably more than a half hour she heard the sounds of someone approaching. Due to her new honed in ability to read auras, she didn't even have to look.

"Do I look that lonely, Mikkoku, that you came all the way out here to cheer me up?"

"Who says I didn't just feel like coming out here on my own, Miss Vain?"

She pointed up and backwards, still not turning towards him. "Yours over looks the maze."

"Cheater."  
"Hardly. Answer the question."

'Not lonely precisely, but troubled."

"I had to make a hard decision."

"What?"

"To let Eriol-san go."

"You are dumping him?'

"In other words."

"Why?"

"If Syaoran-san found out, what says others won't? Then what will happen?"

"Syaoran-kun, what does he have to do with it?"

"I promised to date him instead."

Back still turned, Tomoyo missed the face which quickly passed over Mikkoku's features. For but a moment he looked furious. "Why?"

"Because, though I like Eriol-san more, I DO like Syaoran-san in a way. And he asked me for a favour I'm granting. I'm also worried about what would happen to Eriol-san. Enough to break it off so he doesn't get in trouble."

"Noble thoughts but what about your Hiiragizawa-sensei?"

Finally Tomoyo turned to look at Mikkoku who was at that point standing just behind her. "What do you mean?"

"What if he doesn't care if you get found out? What if he just wants you?"

She sighed and leaned over to put her face in her hands. "I've thought about that. That is one of the main reasons why I'm going out with Syaoran-san for the two week trial period. If I have someone else he won't fight as hard, right?"

"No he won't. His pride will be hurt. I still think you should be true to yourself, however noble your actions are."

"Yes, but Mikkoku you are wiser than I am."

He reached around her shoulders and gave her a hug. "But you have more purity and are far more lovable."

She turned around and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Not as lovable as you, Mikkoku. Thanks for the compliment though."

As she got up and walked away she didn't notice how long Mikkoku kept his hand on his cheek, as if to keep the kiss where she had planted it.

"And you see, Eriol-san, I've told Syaoran-san that I would go out with him. It's better for me to go with someone my own age, despite how much I like you. I can be so much freer in that relationship." She paused as she looked at his cold features. "Please don't hate me," she pleaded.

At last he reacted in some way by smirking. "I don't hate you, Tomoyo. Far from it. Which is what makes this so hard." He sighed. "Fine. Go date boys your own age. But when they don't treat you as well as I do, or love you as much, you come back to me."

She smiled softly. "You sound so sure that I will."

He stood up and walked around his desk to give her a very meaningful kiss. "I am."

'Now that I'm fully into my magick I learned about how we all have our chosen mates. It's not always true that we meet them though. Within our time we have people we are meant to be with, people who have magick as well, and the same amount usually. And I had someone too, born in the same year that I was but she was burned as a witch when she was only thirteen. My teacher tells me that she was fully into her powers by then and I should learn my lesson from such a quick learner.

'It's not that I'm a slow learner really, but that I didn't know I was a magick user until I was already fifteen. He can't blame me for that. I'm only seventeen now and I know everything that he does and more. But I still wish I could have met her. They also say that whenever a great magick user, which she obviously was, dies some time she will be born again. Maybe I'll meet her again. Knowing my luck I'll be Ninety and near death when she is born. Maybe it's my fate."

Tomoyo put down the journal when she heard the clock chime five. She quickly got dressed and headed down to the front entryway. Syaoran was already waiting for her with a smile and her coat in his arms. In a very gentlemanlike manner he helped her put it on and opened the door for her.

"Mistress didn't go ballistic about us missing dinner?"

"No but she told me to be sure that we were here for tomorrow night's because it's Sakura-chan's birthday," he replied with a soft smile.

"How old is she now?'

"Eleven, I think," he replied with a softened tone once more before smiling.

It was Saturday and they were going out to eat at an Italian restaurant. It had already been a week and a half since their agreement and Tomoyo was more than content with the arrangement. She was pretty sure that he would have found something by the two week mark.

Right when Syaoran was going to do the transportation spell she said, "Hey Syaoran-san, why don't we skip dinner."

"Where would you like to go?"

"Well, we can go anywhere we want can't we?"

"Reasonably yes. I really don't think it'd be wise to go to a different country or anything. That takes up too much energy."

"Alright, then let me show you something I saw on a trip once."

"Sure."

Tomoyo reached around him and whispered a few words. The world around them melted and reformed into darkened trees and grass. She smiled as she looked over his shoulder. Stepping away she grinned at him.

"What is this place? What's so special?"

"Turn around, you twit."

Tomoyo watched in pleasure as he turned around and saw the illuminated architecture.

"It's breathtaking. What is it?"

"It's the Water Wall. Its a half circle on each side, this is the outside, which looks more like Niagara falls but the other side..." she left off as she pulled him around to the other side which looked more like water falling down an angled cliff.

"It's beautiful. But, um, Tomoyo-chan, where are we?"

She laughed. "I don't know really, somewhere in Japan. I came here when I was little with my Mom. It was a relatively new creation then I thought it was the most awe inspiring thing I'd ever seen. Like man had captured the raw power of nature.."

"It's exactly that isn't it?" He turned to her smiling to her once more. "Thank you for showing me this. It must mean something to you."

She nodded and looked back at the wall. "I've only seen it once but I remember it so vividly." She paused. "I think I might show it to Mikkoku some day. I think he'd like it."

Syaoran grew really still, his hand still resting lightly on her arm. "You really like Mikkoku don't you?"

"Um hmm. He's like the family I was never privileged to have. When I'm around him I feel...at home." She shrugged. "Silly I know. But I finally get a brother of sorts."

"I see," Syaoran said slowly.

They stood there for a long time, standing side by side as they both admired the beauty in front of them. Tomoyo with a look of utter contentment, but Syaoran with a considering and thoughtful look in his amber eyes.

Tomoyo was helping Sakura get ready for the birthday celebration before dinner. The two girls got along like best friends, despite the age difference. They weren't together as much as Mikkoku and she were, but that's because Sakura had to spend a lot of time studying. No one would tell her why Sakura was treated differently or why no one commented on her ability to do easily spells Tomoyo hadn't even seen Mikkoku do.

"I remember a long time ago I went to visit my aunt and her husband when I was a couple years younger than you," Tomoyo said as she brushed Sakura's hair.

"Was that the only time you visited them?" Sakura asked, looking a little astonished.

"Oh I think I visited with them a couple more times, but my mother was very upset with my aunt's marriage and so kept away from them for years. I think she visited her sister once more before her death. Mostly though, my aunt and uncle would come visit us for a short time."

"Are they nice people?" Sakura asked as she skipped to the closet to look at her clothes.

"Very. In some ways they remind me of you. Especially my aunt, she was so gentle and everyone loved her."

The younger girl giggled a little, almost startling Tomoyo with the purity of the sound. "I don't think everyone loves me, Tomoyo-san. But it would be very nice. I'm glad you got to know your aunt and uncle. I was never allowed to."

"Oh?" Tomoyo asked. She had always been curious about Sakura's past but had been afraid to ask.

Sakura nodded, her emerald eyes sparkling. "See, mama and papa knew really early that I was gifted with great magick. My mother's a magick user as well, though not a greater one. They were very happy when they learned of it, but at the same time were very sad. They both knew I had to receive training. So they kept me only until I was three and able to talk and walk before they gave me over to Mistress Mei Lin."

Tomoyo stared at the younger girl in shock. She had been taken from her family so young but still managed to smile as she told the story. Tomoyo of course knew that she could not have received harsh treatment here, but still to be brought to this dark house so young was a harsh punishment.

"Did they teach you how to use magick right away or did they wait?"

"Oh, I was able to use my magick before I turned four. But since I'm not all the way grown up I don't have all of it yet. So I will stay here for some time yet, until I come into all my magic."

Tomoyo nodded silently. Then a thought struck her, a stray memory.

"Sakura-chan, what are your parent's names?"

"Oh! Kinomoto Fujitaka and Nadeshiko. I also have an older brother who I visit with every summer and during Christmas sometimes. His name is Touya and is very over protective."

For a moment, Tomoyo was struck completely dumb. Touya. She had met with Touya only a few times since he was a year older and able to stay behind when his parents came to visit. When Aunt Nadeshiko and Uncle Fujitaka came to visit.

"Sakura-chan, I have another birthday present for you. A story."

"Oh?" she asked, delightedly.

"Once upon a time, my aunt and uncle had a little boy who I met with a few times. Then, seven years later they had a little girl. She was born when I was just a little girl and so since I never saw her again, the memory of her faded from memory. No one told me what happened to my little girl cousin. But I know now."

"Oh? What happened?" Sakura asked, obviously enthralled.

"She came to the Boarding House with Mistress Mei Lin."

For a moment, the younger girl seemed to have trouble understanding before comprehension flooded her features. "You are my cousin, Tomoyo-san?"

"That's right."

"Yay! That's the best present ever!" Sakura laughed as she hugged her new family member.

"It's a present to me too!" Tomoyo laughed before being startled. The half hour was being rung. "I'll go on ahead of you. You get ready okay?"

"Yes, Cousin Tomoyo-chan!"

Everyone gathered in the dining room before six and waited for Sakura to come. It was a special thing that made it absolute that she was the woman of the day. When the young girl, confirmed to be turning eleven, walked into the room everyone sang happy birthday. She blushed bright red but grinned. Sakura was given the head chair and had a tiara put on her head. After dinner they had cake and gave her presents.

Mistress gave her a dress, a pink one, but one which looked a bit older than the ones she usually wore. Mistress Mei Lin said that she was a year older and should dress with a years more maturity. Sakura thanked her and smiled almost worriedly. Syaoran gave her, in point of fact, the tiara on her head and a matching necklace. They were both just thin silver wired around too look almost like ivy but were both exquisitely beautiful and suited Sakura wonderfully.

Tomoyo grinned as she gave her favourite new cousin her birthday present. "Open it open it!"

"I am Cousin Tomoyo-chan! I am!" Sakura laughed as she unwrapped it carefully.

Tomoyo had been working carefully over the present for some time after she heard a chance comment from Lia. And it meant the world to her when the little girls face lit up with even more radiance than it usually had.

"Tomoyo, I love them!" she exclaimed as she inspected each of the hand sized pictures that Tomoyo had pain staking drawn and framed. One was Sakura herself, another, Tomoyo, two more were Syaoran and Mikkoku, then the last two were Mistress and group picture of all of them. "Thank you! I was wishing for pictures of everyone and these are so wonderful. Thank you!"

Tomoyo blushed but was happy that she liked them.

"Hey am I really that handsome?" Syaoran asked, trying to be funny for once.

"Oh, Sakura-chan. I also put a bit of magick on them. They will appear like the person in the picture appears. That way you will always know what we look like so you may always recognize us when you see us after we have parted ways."

"Where did you find that spell?" Mistress Mei Lin asked carefully. "From Mikkoku?"

"Not from me. Did you find it in a book Tomoyo?"

"No. I just did it. Sometimes when I think about what I want done how to do it will just come to me. Doesn't that happen with you?"

"Yes, it happens with me, too" Mikkoku said. But something in his voice, Tomoyo detected, said that it wasn't at all usual.

"Anyway, Mikkoku, it's your turn."

Sakura giggled. "He didn't have to get me anything. No body did!"

"Nonsense, Sakura-chan. However, I didn't get you anything."

"Oh," the little girl said obviously a little confused.

"But I'm still giving you a gift; never fear. You get a wish! I'll give you anything you want, well for at least ten minutes, anything you've always wanted but never could have or do."

"Sort of like borrowing someone else's MP levels?"

"MP?"

"Honestly, Mikkoku-kun, don't tell me you've never played Final Fantasy?" Sakura sighed. "Anyway...my wish...." With a faint look at Syaoran then at Tomoyo she answered slowly. "I Wish to see what I look like when I'm....17. Just for a few minutes."

"Done. That's easy. Stand up so that we can all get a good look at you. Oh and I'm going to have the magick redress you too so your clothes don't tear."

For a moment everyone watched as Mikkoku concentrated then muttered a few word. There was a sudden flash of light and everyone turned their eyes to Sakura. And gasped. Instead of the small girl there now stood a breathtakingly beautiful woman who stood tall and self assured. Instead of the dainty white long sleeved dress that had been, there was now a long full skirted strapless dress which clung to this beauty in all the right places. She was breathtaking. Even more so when the voice that came from her lips was equally as pure and womanly.

"You are scaring me everyone."

Her words broke the sudden stillness which had fallen over everyone. Except for Syaoran. Syaoran was still staring at Sakura with strange intentness. Or more exactly, staring at her left arm. On which there was a tattoo of a Cherry Blossom set inside the inner circle of a Crescent moon. The symbol gifted to the number one most powerful girl, said in mythology to appear on the moon at the birth of a great mage. And equal only to the companion symbol, the Black Wolf.

"Moon Star," Syaoran whispered. "I knew...but I didn't."

Everyone in the room, Sakura included, looked at him like he was deranged.

"Of course she's Moon Star, Syaoran-san," Tomoyo said. "She doesn't try to keep it a secret."

"I never ASKED. And she usually has long sleeves on."

"True. But is there anything special about the fact that I'm Moon star, Syaoran-san?" Sakura asked, with a kind of shy hope in her voice.

It was at that point that Tomoyo began to smile slowly. She understood why Sakura made such a simple wish, one she could have easily done herself, and probably had done. She also easily understood what Syaoran had been looking for and that he had someone to wait for now.

Of course, so did everyone else in the room, Sakura and Syaoran included.

Tomoyo quietly knocked on the door before entering and closing it behind her. He looked at her for a moment, and at the way her eyes said everything.

"I knew you'd be back."

"I didn't want to leave."

"Then please don't leave again," he pleaded, with such pain and urgency in his voice.

As she looked at him she regretted every single day she had instead spent with Syaoran and every moment that she had tried to push this man from her mind.

"Never."


	5. Criminal Findings

**Criminal Findings**

Tomoyo woke up the next day feeling vaguely sore in places she had never really felt before. But after she rushed into Eriol's arms the night before she had grown up in more than one way and now was feeling the effects. On the very thought about what she had done so shamelessly, and so illegally -in more than one way, she blushed scarlet and thanked whatever deity could hear her that she had the day off thanks to exam exemptions.

After a long relaxing bath she returned to reading the four hundred year old journal. She had nearly finished it and found it quite fascinating, though not for exactly normal reasons. Not only was she learning that she wasn't the only one who had magic so oddly put upon them, but she also felt a vague familiarity with the writing. It felt almost like she was talking and she found comfort in it since she had never kept one herself. She was so wrapped up in it that she didn't notice the time until Mikkoku appeared at her door with a tea set.

"Wow. Time flies."

"I guess. Come sit."

"No, set up on the bed. It will support a few tea cups on saucers without spilling."

"Tsk, tsk, inviting a man into your bed. So improper."

"Yeah, on grounds of pedophilia."

"No comment."

She just laughed and poured their tea with a skill and practice that she never even thought about. It had been almost three full months since she had come to this odd place and she couldn't be more glad of it. She felt this was home, at last, HER home.

"So you already start your break?"

"Exemptions. 'Cause I'm smart."

"That and you play tonsil hockey with one of your teachers."

"Because I'm smart. But break doesn't start yet. There is one last day of 'classes' after exams. Have to go to school then."

"That is evil."

"Ah, I'm not the only one who thinks so. Good."

"What are you doing for break?"

"Sleeping. You?"

"Planning world domination."

"That's all?"

"In all dimensions."

"Have fun."

It was when she finished the journal that night that Tomoyo finally realized why the words were so familiar and were so comforting. She had finally recognized the sense of humour and phraseology behind the way the pages were written. So, without further ado, she marched all the way across the house and knocked on Mikkoku's door at ten o'clock at night.

Groggily he opened the door, obviously half asleep. As Tomoyo looked at him, he suddenly looked older. Maybe it was the fact that with only a robe half on his upper body was far better formed than anyone his age should have been. But then, his age was a relative judgment.

"What do you need Tomoyo?"

"You are four hundred, and probably more, years old."

He just looked at her for a long moment then looked as if the light finally dawned in the eternally dark house.

"That stupid journal."

"Did you think I was stupid? That I wouldn't be able to figure it out? IS that why you let me read it?"

He yawned. "No, you just thought I changed a bit through the years. Besides, I never kept the fact that I only look young a secret."

"Okay saying you are not really ten and being...40 times older than that is vaguely different."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm sorry. I would have told you eventually if you hadn't figured it out."

"And why ten anyway?"

"I was bored. Someone bet me I couldn't stay as a child for a few months. You came the day before the bet ended."

"...Okay. And at the ball? How does all this work?"

He looked at her like she was insane for talking about this when he obviously wanted to sleep. "Come in and sit down."

"Now who's being improper?"

"Shut up and listen." He stretched out in the chair opposite her, with the dying fire glancing off the sides of his face and the dark sky, again raining, fell in the window behind him. Tomoyo felt stupid for ever thinking that he could be remotely near any age she had guessed. This was a man who had the feel of being everywhere and seeing everything. A man of the world.

"Now, grasshopper, the twenty or so most powerful magick users are more or less immortal. We can be killed by certain methods after we reach our magick and by any mortal way before we do. Because of this it's physically impossible for our body to really age along with us. As such we get to pick and choose our ages. What we look like is a physical representation of what we would look like at a physical age. I'm currently physically eleven, not ten, and at the ball I was physically nineteen. Do you understand all this?"

"...So how old is Syaoran-san?"

"250 even."

She winced. "I feel like an idiot."

"No, but that does make him a pedophile a few more times over now doesn't it?"

At that thought Tomoyo couldn't help but giggle. "Yeah." Then she grew thoughtful. "Oh, and who is this girl you were supposed to be with."

Mikkoku stood up. "No. Not tonight. I will not discuss my personal things with you when I want to sleep."

"Yeah, yeah," she threw over her shoulder as she left his room, "None of my business."

He smiled at the closed door. "Rather the opposite actually."

Tomoyo had a similar confrontation with Syaoran the next day. It was more interesting than Mikkoku's because she had actually gone to school with this two hundred and fifty year old man. That was really mind warping enough for her to wonder if wandering out in the rain might help. But it was also funny as he tried to explain it away, especially to Sakura who overheard the conversation. She was quite astonished at his real age and felt, too, a bit dirty, if that was possible for such a pure and young a child.

However, finally, Tomoyo confronted Mistress Mei Lin. Mistress began to laugh very hard when Tomoyo asked how old SHE was. The lady never did tell but she did finally divulge some of the history of the Boarding House. She had been chosen by the original owner to run it. It had been around for nearly three hundred and twenty years and had serviced anybody who needed help, who had magick, since she had been there. She also explained that she was among the top twenty, yes, but she had less control on which age she could choose. For her she was only allowed to change age every few years or so unlike Mikkoku who could change at the drop of a hat.

So Tomoyo went to bed the last day before the last day of school much more informed than she had been the day before and in a lot better humour about how things were.

She had promised to meet Eriol in his office at six. She had explained to Mistress that she wouldn't be home for dinner. She had carefully wrapped the sweater she had half made, half conjured, for his Christmas present. She had carefully made sure that her long hair was brushed out to its fullest, that her short plaid skirt looked good, her socks were up and that her sweater was not an issue.

But she was nervous. It was the first time they would even talk since they had...shown their love. Their relationship was so very strange. It had progressed ridiculously quickly and was only barely dotted with them being an actual couple. But look what it had already progressed to? Both physical and emotional. She didn't know what to expect now and was nervous because of it. And when she was nervous she walked fast. So fast that she came to the door ten minutes early. True that he had always stressed that she not be early because someone might still be around, but she knew all the teachers and students were gone now.

When she glanced in the small window in his door she noticed that he was changing his shirt. Since she had merely unbuttoned it in their last encounter she relished being able to watch him when he didn't realize it. But she had only been watching a moment before he turned his back to her completely.

Then she dropped the carefully wrapped gift and impulsively stepped away from the door and almost ran some ways down the hallway.

On that muscular back she saw he had a tattoo. An exquisitely drawn tattoo of a large black bird flying up his spine. A very familiar looking tattoo. In her mind she argued that it wasn't possible, that it had to be coincidence. Her head argued her all the way to a stop and back to his door where she picked up the gift she had dropped.

It wasn't until Hiiragizawa Eriol opened the door, still buttoning his shirt, glasses off, that she looked into his eyes and knew deep in her heart. She didn't know how to react. Without a fight she let him draw her into his office and into his arms. But she couldn't move. After a moment he noticed and reached up to tilt her face back so he could look her in the eyes.

And she looked at him with eyes so full of hurt and betrayal that he knew even before she whispered the one word that said everything.

"Mikkoku."

He cursed low under his breath. "I can explain Tomoyo."

"Explain what? That you lied to me since I met you? I mean I can understand the whole older than I look, but this is different." She pulled away from him and looked at him like he was some kind of...

"I didn't think you'd ever find out about this."

"Oh and that makes it better?" she screamed. "I trusted you! ...BOTH of you! I mean god, you should have told me from the start!"

"I didn't mean to lie to you, Tomoyo."

"Bullshit, you didn't mean to lie to me. You have tried your hardest to make me believe that you were two different people. God I should have known that was why you were always on the teacher's side. I should have known all along."

"Yeah, right, Tomoyo. You are so oblivious about everything that has to do with you in a good way. You are so blind as to what everyone sees in you that you couldn't see that someone would do anything to be around you."

"What so now I'm stupid?"

"Maybe!"

"Great, and I need this from you? Someone I trusted." She paused a moment to think before getting even angrier. "Jesus, everyone else knows too don't they? Mistress Mei Lin and Syaoran-san, what about Sakura-chan?"

"Well, Sakura-chan doesn't..."

Tomoyo let out a stream of curses that embarrassed even herself. But at that point she didn't care. The two people she cared about most had been lying to her since the very first, ironically about EACHOTHER. And everyone else, everyone knew. They were probably laughing at her about it behind those smiles they showed to her. All those half amused smiles.

Then her eyes fell around the office. Where she had...done that. Where she had given him the one thing that she had fought for hard enough in her old life that it had brought her to the Boarding House, to him. At that point she just couldn't take it anymore.

"No, enough of this. I'm leaving. I'm going to my Aunt's house. I can trust her. I don't need this."

He tried to stop her but before he could she disappeared from his office, melting away from sight. He tried to quickly follow but realized that she hadn't appeared on the front porch where she normally would have. He started out at a dead run, almost stepping on Spinel Sun who was strongly protecting her mistress. By the time he had run through the house she had already changed and was packing up whatever she could find into a duffel bag. He tried to reach over and stop her but she jerked away from him.

"NO! I'm leaving! All of you disgust me! You treated me like some sort of toy to play with, something to bet about behind the scenes. Well I won't play your games!"

"We didn't do that Tomoyo! You talk about trusting us but that doesn't show trust at all."

"Oh yeah, and all of you proved so aptly my trust was placed." She hit his hand as he tried to reach out to her again. "Get away from me! You disgust me because you are even worse than them! Here I was trying so hard to work for a relationship...confiding, ironically, in you. Is that why you never seemed surprised every time something big happened between us? You just knew it was coming! Ha! You are despicable and I'll be glad to be rid of you."

She pushed past him to her bed where the bag was laying nearly full. She shoved a few more clothes into it then zipped it up and turned to leave. However he was standing in front of her blocking her way.

"Let me go, Eriol!"

"No," he said in a frozen voice. When she looked at him closer she realized that he looked like he would break if touched. He looked so sad. She almost reached out to comfort him then realized what she was doing. He deserved it the bastard.

"I'm leaving! Get out of my way!"

"I'm not going to let you leave! I've waited too long for you to come to me. I waited over four hundred years for you, Tomoyo; I'm not going to wait for you again. I'm not going to lose you again."

"What are you talking about? You never had me!"

"That's why you aren't leaving! You belong with me! I've waited too long for you! I'm not going to let you just disappear again! Never!"

"Too bad!" she screamed as she tried to push past him.

But in an adult body he was much stronger than she was. And by then he had completely lost it. Gripping her arms fiercely he shoved her back onto the bed and covered her mouth in kisses. When she tried to shove him off he merely grabbed her hands and held them above her head in one of his own. His other hand he raked over her body, attempting to claim possession. His mind was so clouded that it took a few minutes before he realized that she was shaking. Finally he pulled back and saw that she was just crying, her eyes closed and her head turned to the side.

Suddenly he jerked back and looked at his own hands and at her. With dread he realized that in his anger what he had tried to do to her and instantly hated himself as much as she obviously did. And as he looked down at her in her uncontrollable sobs he realized that he just wanted to help her, even if it meant that she left him forever. Quietly he drew her up and into his arms. He brushed his fingers through her hair and tried to consol her.

"You're right, I'm despicable. You can leave whenever you want. I'm sorry, I'll help you leave. Just stop crying Tomoyo. You aren't a crier, Tomoyo. Shh..."

But as he spoke she just cried harder. He held her close to him, rocking back and forth until she finally collapsed in exhaustion. He picked her up and laid her carefully in her bed, covering her with the warm blankets and caressing her hair. After that Eriol started to leave, let her sleep alone and in peace, but he couldn't. He knew she would leave on the next day and he probably wouldn't see her for a very long time, if ever again. So he turned around at the door and looked at her for a long time, finally going to the bed and lying down beside her until he fell asleep.

Eriol woke up alone in her bed. He quickly looked around and saw that the bag she had hurriedly packed the night before was gone and her wardrobe was empty. He rushed through the house to the dining room where he found Mei Lin and Syaoran eating breakfast. When they turned and noticed him, both stopped eating.

"Oh my god. Does she know?"

"Yes."

"But...where is she?" Mei Lin asked, worriedly.

"She left."

Syaoran was furious. "What did you do to her?! Why would she leave so suddenly?"

"I didn't do anything to her, you brat," Eriol nearly yelled. But he knew he was lying. "Anyway, she said we had all been lying to her from the beginning and she couldn't stay in the same house with us anymore."

"We were? You were the lying bastard!"

"Oh and you ratted on me, Syaoran? You told her the truth as soon as you saw me?"

Syaoran got quiet and began to pick on his breakfast. Mei Lin looked on the point of tears, because she really had truly liked Tomoyo. She had known as well as the rest of them that she was good for Eriol who had been cold, hard and mean for so many years until he met her.

Into this silence, Sakura came into the room, surprising everyone else. But not as much as when she asked, "Why did Tomoyo-san wake me up to say goodbye?"

"What?" everyone asked at once.

Sakura looked scared for a moment. "Tomoyo-san came to my room an hour ago and told me that she was going back home but she wanted to say goodbye first. She asked me if there was anything I wanted my family to know and I told her. Then she gave me a hug and left." Sakura stopped and looked at the twenty something year old man with black hair and a troubled look. "Why are you big?"

Everyone looked at her in silence. They had temporarily forgotten that she was the only one who didn't know about his masquerade as a teacher.

"It's the age I take when I play Hiiragizawa Eriol," he replied, knowing full well that she would know about what had been going on if not necessarily who.

The young girl looked at him for a long moment then frowned as if she were reprimanding a small child. "That explains everything then. I'm going back to my room now."

And everyone watched in silence as she left the room as grandly as she had come. For a moment all they could do was sit and stare, then Syaoran started laughing.

"She's got you pegged, 'Hiiragizawa'."

"Yeah, yeah. Anyway, I'm leaving. I'll let you know where I'm going once I get there. Probably Italy."

"But Eriol-sama, this is your home!"

"And you've been taking care of it quite grandly for almost as long as I've owned it. You can continue by yourself for a while longer."

She sighed but didn't argue and watched as he left the room as cold hearted as he had been three months earlier. No...more.

Aunt Nadeshiko was more than happy to have her niece back with her. She had fought to have Tomoyo live in her home since her sister had died so long ago. Especially since she brought news of her beloved daughter. If she was sad that her niece was now a lot quieter than she had been and a lot more mature than her age really should be, she knew that it was probably best not to interfere too much. But she couldn't help but hear when she cried herself to sleep.

For Christmas they drank hot chocolate and exchanged presents. Tomoyo tried her best to be happier and get over the immense hurt she was suffering for her Aunt and Uncle's sake but it was hard. She hated making them suffer with her but Tomoyo needed her aunt more than she ever had in her life. And so slowly by slowly she began to smile. She started a new school at the beginning of January, a less expensive school without a uniform. If people commented that she always wore black, it wasn't in a mean way. No one called her a Goth or made fun of her. She looked too mature and too sad for someone who was only sixteen. Instead people made friends with her and complimented her on her unique fashion statement.

Tomoyo appreciated it and was getting better. But she began to get the strange feeling that something was off. She didn't realize what it was until one day when she was meditating. Her purple aura that she had become so accustomed to wasn't only purple anymore. There was a tinge of pink to it. She didn't know what that was at first until she gave up and took a nap. While she dreamed she heard the sounds of a small child laughing. She heard herself laughing, saw a little girl held high up in the air.

When she woke her hands were over her abdomen and she knew the answer. At first she didn't understand. It had only been one time and she knew her cycle. It shouldn't have ended up with a baby. But there was no other reason. Tomoyo really didn't know what to do. She had just become a statistic, in a very weird and complicated way. Her first instinct was to go tell her Aunt Nadeshiko, but she knew that she couldn't give that burden to her aunt who had always loved her and who had without hesitation brought her into her home and welcomed her.

More than anything she couldn't tell Eriol. Nor did she really want to. But she did need help. But for the moment no one would know by looking at her and she had at least two months to figure something out before someone began to notice. Only two months to find an answer.

But also, for the first time in the month since she had left the Boarding House, she didn't cry herself to sleep. It might have hurt the baby.

It only took a month for her to realize what she had to do. She called Mistress. Mei Lin spent ten minutes apologizing to Tomoyo, most of which Tomoyo felt was deserved. But she also told her that Eriol had disappeared and hadn't returned since the day she had left. So they agreed that the following weekend Tomoyo should come and stay at the Boarding House and they would figure out what to do.

The next step was a bit harder. Tomoyo had to explain it to her Aunt Nadeshiko. She drew the older woman into her bedroom and told her what about everything with Mikkoku and Eriol and all that mess. She listened carefully and kindly but was a little more than slightly alarmed when Tomoyo explained that she was also pregnant. Tomoyo hated having to tell this woman she loved so much something that disappointed her so obviously. But her aunt understood and in her own way was happy for her niece. She couldn't help with the costs of a baby, since she already had a full family in addition to Tomoyo, but she could offer much needed emotional support. She also understood that it might be soon enough that Tomoyo would be leaving her behind again. But she understood and accepted this as well as she could.

That weekend Tomoyo used the familiar transportation spell to get to the Boarding House. Mistress Mei Lin met her at the door with a warm hug. Sakura and Syaoran were waiting behind her with tense looks and hopeful faces.

"I'm so sorry, Tomoyo-san. I should have told you sooner. But I didn't really think it was my place."

Tomoyo smiled at Syaoran. "It's okay. I forgave you two a long time ago."

"And Eriol-san?" Sakura asked. "What about him?"

"Not yet."

"And you were never angry at me, Tomoyo-san?"

"Never, Sakura-chan. Who could?"

The little girl ran up to her and hugged her tightly. "I didn't think so but I was worried. And now you are going to have a baby too! What do you think it is, boy or girl?"

"I think it's going to be a little girl."

"Can I be her older sister?"

Tomoyo smiled. "Nothing else would do. I also have letters from your family, Sakura-chan. And a few presents."

"Really? Yay!" the younger girl giggled excitedly.

They continued to talk lightly for an hour or so then Mistress drew Tomoyo into the Library to talk quietly between the two of them.

"I don't know what I can do for you emotionally, Tomoyo, but you can stay here. It's probably for the best."

"I don't want to see or talk to Eriol, Mei Lin-san. I can't handle that."

If Mistress looked a little saddened at the new title Tomoyo had bestowed upon her, she didn't say anything about it. "I will tell you if he plans to come back here. But before you came he rarely stayed here except for a few months every other year or so. And it is likely he won't be back for some time since these...unpleasant events have occurred here."

"Maybe. I will definitely need some place other than my aunts. And this does have ready resources doesn't it..." She sighed and leaned forward, head in hands. "I don't regret this child, Mei Lin-san, never think that. But I never wanted to be a mother, well by the time she's born, at seventeen." She sat up and looked out the window. "But then, I lost my carefree childhood when I came here didn't I?"

"I won't lie to you and say that you didn't. When you came here, no matter how unintentionally, you came as a student of the arts. You were no longer a child then."

"Ah well." She looked around at all the books. "I'll be using this library to finish my training. By the time my child is born I want to be fully in my powers. Or at least as much as anyone else is developed, Syaoran-san especially."

"I understand." Mistress reached out and grasped Tomoyo's hand. "Please stay here. You don't have to decide immediately, but this is your home. We love you here, no matter what you may think, and we can help you."

Tomoyo smiled and squeezed Mistress' hand in return. "I know. But my Aunt loves me too and I would like to stay with her for as long as I can. But please, just in case will you work it out with the school I was going to. If I come I'll be back in a couple weeks. After that I'll probably show."

"I'll see what I can do."

Three weeks later, Tomoyo found herself eating breakfast in the dining room almost as if she had never left. Except now Sakura ate breakfast with them every morning and now she usually only ate dry toast to help with the morning sickness. Apparently magickal babies gave more morning sickness than normal ones. A joyous thing.

Syaoran walked with her through the thick snow in front of their school and was constantly making sure she wasn't too cold.

"Why are you even IN school, Syaoran-san? You are far past the age where you need to."

"As silly as it sounds I try to go through High school once every two decades. That way I get a precursory education on everything in the normal world that I miss because I interact in it so little." He opened the doors for her. "For instance, I never knew about genetics until earlier this year. I am thinking that I need to start going to school more often because that is quite a leap from twenty years ago."

She looked at him with new found respect. "Why don't you go to college if you love learning so much?"

He laughed. "Because a professor or two might recognize me. I went to school with some of the best of them."

She laughed and stepped, reluctantly into class with him. 'Hiiragizawa-sensei' had been replaced with a female teacher who was cheerful and witty. Utterly likable. Syaoran explained to her that 'Eriol' had been excused from school for "emergency family situation" which called him overseas.

"But they miss him," he said during their free period. "He was one of their best teachers. He'd even taught here before so they understood that when he left he could usually be counted on to come back."

"I don't think I care anymore, Syaoran. But I'm glad that everyone here missed me."

"Especially Chiharu. She told me that you were the only one who she could talk to comfortably. That you always listened."

"She's very interesting, that's why."

"Well she was ecstatic when she heard you were coming back. Too bad she ended up being sick today."

"I'll see her tomorrow though."

"Speaking of which, you feeling better?"

"Just don't say anything remotely to do with food and I'll be fine. I can't wait for this to end."

"Don't worry. Just don't let anyone know you are knocked up. The school will probably kick you out. However, it's not likely since Mistress can use some of her own magick to make you look as perfect as you once were."

She hit him. "Flatterer. Just wait 'til Sakura-chan grows up. THAT is perfection."

He got a dreamy look in his eyes for a moment but turned back to her and sighed. "Yes, Sakura is going to be beautiful. But she has nothing on you, Tomoyo. But then you never will realize just how magnificently exquisitely beautiful you are."

Blushing bright red, Tomoyo turned from the window and went to go sit down. "Yeah, yeah."

"You are disgusting, Tomoyo, you know that?"

Tomoyo laughed at Mistress. "I can't help it! It's not like I'm not eating."

"But you are five months along and you don't even look like you are three months! Women everywhere are envious."

"But it's a good thing. This way I won't have to hide it for school."

"I don't even understand how you can go to school, come home and read till dinner, then read till bed time. You don't even sleep that much." She grabbed either shoulder. "Tomoyo, you are a mother now. Act like one. Be tired. Be hormonal. Stop being so perfect."

She laughed. "I can feel her moving you know. And feel her heart beat. It makes me feel all buoyant inside."

"Not even listening."

Tomoyo got quiet. "I am listening, Mei Lin-san, I really am. But I have to keep myself distracted. If I'm not distracted I think of him. And if I think of him I cry. And trust me that is hormonal and just not me."

"Do you want him back Tomoyo?"

"I love him, I really do. But all while I was loving him he was lying to me. I forgive him...but what will he do next? Can I really go back to trusting him?"

"He really loves you too, Tomoyo. I've known him for most of his life and I've never seen him like he was with you. He was completely a new person and loved the air you breathed. I'm not saying you have to take him back, but consider why he did it. Also know that he is hurting as much as you are."

Tomoyo smiled and nodded. "I will."

It was the first week of October when Tomoyo learned first hand how much the pains of birth were under exaggerated. She laboured for most of a full day before they gave up and performed a Caesarian section. Exhausted Tomoyo collapsed and slept for a few hours before she even got to see her child. But the moment the two laid eyes on each other it was love.

"It's funny, Syaoran-san," she said as she stared at the bundle in her arms while Syaoran sat beside her. The others had gone off to get drinks and find out when she was getting released, her Aunt included. "It's funny how much you can love someone you are meeting for the first time. Just one look and I loved her."

"Deja vu."

"What?"

"A year ago, this little one's father said almost that exact same phrase."

Tomoyo smiled quietly, sadly as she looked at her most precious person on the planet. But even she didn't know if she saw her new daughter or the man she'd abandoned.

"When are you going to tell him, Tomoyo-san?"

"I don't know."

"But you are going to, aren't you?"

"Some time. But I promise I will."

"What are you going to name her?"

"Hikari. I think it fits."

"I think it fits her perfectly."


	6. Hopes and Starlight

**Hopes and Starlight**

Even though she ended up missing a week and a half of school because of her complicated birth and other matters, Tomoyo managed to continue her schooling. She healed quickly, much more quickly than normal, and managed a schedule with the others that allowed her to take off those hours to go to school. But she left only moments before school started and was home moments after it ended. It wasn't that she wanted to relieve Mistress who was given primary care duty during the day. No she just wanted to be with her child as much as she possibly could.

And the child was as perfect as her mother was, unbeknownst to both. She slept during the night lying next to her mother quietly. She never spit up. She rarely cried and she learned to smile beautifully quickly. Mother and child loved each other dearly and were best in each others company. But Tomoyo knew that time was coming for her to tell Hikari's father. And she knew when she had to do it was coming.

Winter break was coming closer and Tomoyo stressed that Mistress find out where Eriol was now. They worked their way through the rest of the school semester and Tomoyo made it through the exams she had to take due to her long absence. But she finished school and on that last day she packed up Hikari's baby bag and changed into one of her more formal black dresses. The one she had worn to dinner the night she had gotten her Silver Rain. She put on her long black hooded cloak and wrapped Hikari up in her snow white blanket, holding her extra close for warmth.

Tomoyo made her way down to the entrance hall where she smiled at everyone who had lined up to wish her luck.

"I should be back soon. I don't know what will be said or what will happen, but don't worry, I'll come back."

She smiled at them and then melted away silently in front of their eyes.

The three of them looked at the spot where she disappeared from with a kind of warm respect and fear. Because all of them knew that something momentous would happen today and they were afraid of what would happen at the end. But they all kept close to their hearts her promise to come back. For all of them knew as well as she that she was the Mistress now, the keeper of the house and the truest friend they all had. She would come back.

Eriol was walking down the long line of oak trees that grew on his property in northern England. He had come there only recently but already he felt like leaving. Everywhere he went he only saw her and it left him cold inside. Colder than the frost that bit at him now. It had been a year since she had left. A year in which he had barely held on to his sanity. At one point he even thought he had seen Silver Rain in the sky, but he put it down to the fact that he just wanted her too much.

He didn't even know what he would do if he saw her. She would probably not even recognize him since he was now in the body he most usually kept to, seventeen, the year he had learned to stop time. She must be seventeen now but he didn't even know her birthday. All that he knew is that if he didn't have her back soon he would go completely insane.

As he walked he saw to one side a woman of medium height wearing a long black cloak. The hood had fallen back to reveal raven black hair. His heart leapt when he saw the hair colour but soon he came to his senses. For no reason in the world would she come to find him. Nor would she be in the middle of northern England on accident. He sighed and turned to leave the poor woman in peace, but he had obviously made enough noise to attract her attention and she turned.

In an instant he froze in disbelief. She looked ten times more mature than she had a year ago but she was also that many times more beautiful. He couldn't believe that she was really here. He took a half step towards her and then another until he was finally only a few feet away from her.

"Tomoyo...," he began.

She smiled softly. And it wasn't a smile that accused him of anything. It was just a smile of greeting. Greeting a friend.

"Hello, Eriol."

"Huh...Hi. Why are you here? I mean not that I'm not glad but...I thought you hated me."

She gave him a half smile. "I don't hate you. At least not anymore. But I do have a very good reason for coming to find you, Eriol."

"You are going to forgive me?"

"A better reason."

"You will take me back?"

"Better," she laughed.

He raked a hand through his hair. "What?"

Skillfully she shrugged back the folds of her cloak. Underneath, huddling for warmth from the new cold blasting in at her she held a small child. "Her."

He looked lost. "Her..." Then suddenly a light dawned in his face. "She...she's mine?"

"Who else, you idiot?"

"Sorry. But...why didn't you tell me?"

"It took me a long time to forgive you. Then I decided that I wanted to do some things on my own."

"Is your Aunt Nadeshiko fine with this?"

"I've been living at the Boarding House."

"What?!" he nearly screamed causing Hikari to squirm.

"Shh...You'll wake her up. And trust me; she can be louder than you."

"Sorry. But, you've been living at the Boarding House? For how long?"

"Since February."

He looked like he was going to fall over. "You mean you were only gone for a little over a month?"

"Closer to two but...yeah."

He just didn't know what to say. He knew he should probably be angry that she kept such a big secret from him for a year. God a year that meant... "And what, she's three months old now, approximately anyway, right?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you tell me when she was born?"

She blushed. "I didn't want you to come see me when I was fat and sweaty. Don't be silly. Besides I wanted to tell you like I am now. I would have come sooner but I had school."

"You went to school after you had our child?"

"I know, I'm a bad parent."

He put a hand over her mouth before she said anymore. "No, you are just amazing. I know you had help from Mei Lin but...seriously. You amaze me, Tomoyo. You always have. But...the question I have now is what do you want me to do?"

"You mean did I just come here to tell you?"

"Something like that."

She grew really quiet and looked down at their little girl. Then she looked up at Eriol with eyes of assessment. She took in the appearance she had only seen once before at the Halloween ball a year ago. Ironically it was the form that she began to always think of him in. Adding the ages and dividing by two almost. But it was his eyes that she looked at the most. The eyes that she had missed the most.

"I want you to be her father, Eriol. I want you to come home with us."

He looked at her. "Seriously? Are you sure?"

"Of course you idiot. I love you. So does she."

"You love me? And she...what is her name?"

"Hikari. And I always loved you. I thought I told you that."

"No. You never said the words before. I waited for them but they never came."

"I'm sorry. But I really do."

He grinned and hugged his family to him. And if anyone saw and thought that they looked like two teens that had become a statistic, well, they didn't care.

"Now, Hikari, I want you to spread these flower petals everywhere."

"Yes, Uncle Syao."

"Good girl, now go!"

At the wedding of Hiiragizawa Eriol –agreed upon by both as the better name for the time being- and Daidouji Tomoyo -who only reluctantly revealed her real name, and incidentally the fact that she was probably the wealthiest girl in Japan- there were a few odd things. The first was that though neither the bride nor groom looked any older than nineteen they seemed more ready for it than most thirty year olds. There was also the fact that there was a little two year old girl who called Tomoyo Mommy and Mikkoku Daddy even though there had never been any news of Tomoyo ever being pregnant. Or maybe it was the fact that the Maid of Honour was only twelve years old while the bride's maids, Mei Lin, Rika, and Chiharu, looked to be eighteen and twenty-five. Even more that while everyone knew Tomoyo, most of Tomoyo's guests hadn't known Eriol long, or why he looked a lot like the high school's teacher with the same name, though it was obviously impossible for them to be the same person. Right?

But no one mistook how beautiful the bride looked as she walked down the aisle in a long silver dress and veil which barely covered Tomoyo's black hair which was now nearly to her feet. Nor did anyone think it was odd that they wrote their own vows, or that they looked perfect together. Instead they wished them luck on their early marriage and toasted that they have a long and happy life together.

And only half of them knew just how long that life maybe.

"Sakura-chan, you are nineteen now. I think it's safe to say that you can marry the idiot if you want."

"But, Tomoyo-san, if I marry at nineteen people will think I'm copying you. No matter how long Syaoran and I have been together."

Tomoyo rolled her eyes. They were sitting together on the large balcony that looked over the gardens at the Boarding House. An outside observer might have been struck breathless at the sight, for it was awing. The two were almost painfully beautiful when they were by themselves, more so when they stood together. While one wore all pink and honeyed hair so pure it shone in its own light the other wore solid black and raven hair so long and dark it put the very night to shame. They looked like the queens nestled in their own world of fantasy and dreams.

Of course they also looked the same age. Tomoyo had stopped her aging process at nineteen and decided she quite liked the age. But everyone knew that even if she had let herself age normally she would be as beautiful as she ever was, if not more. But no one could convince her of that fact, nor would they.

"Sakura-chan, if anyone accuses you of copying me I will punish them severely."

Sakura laughed. "Yes, ma'am. Speaking of copying you, where is Hikari-chan?"

Tomoyo laughed. Their daughter had inherited the same dark colouring as her parents and, though her mother told her strictly that she didn't have to, would only wear black while she was in the Boarding House, like her mother.

"I think she is with her father, or perhaps Syaoran-san. But they are supposed to be showing her how to find her symbol."

"You know, she is as powerful as the two of you, Tomoyo. And I'm not giving up my symbol to her. So I wonder what will happen."

"Maybe there is a symbol that someone forgot about."

"I wonder."

"But what did you mean speaking of copying you?"

Sakura blushed scarlet and turned away from her mentor. "Nothing."

Tomoyo almost died of laughter. "You...and Syaoran-san...does he know?"

"Not yet."

"How long?"

"Only a month."

"Ah then you can wait awhile to tell him if you want."

"Not as long as you did."

"Good thing, I don't think Syaoran-san would react as well as Eriol did."

"As I did what?" Eriol asked, as he came out onto the balcony with them, daughter trailing happily after.

"I'll tell you later, dear," Tomoyo said as she turned to smile at her daughter. "Well? What is it?"

"Look, Mother. I have a tattoo! And it doesn't hurt or anything!"

Tomoyo looked at her daughter's left arm and then at Eriol who was smiling mischievously. "Does it have a name, Eriol?"

"No, Silver Rain, it doesn't. I think we have done the impossible and brought out a new magick into existence."

"Maybe." She looked at the tattoo, a beautiful black bird, wings spread to meet on the other side of her arm, flying up towards her shoulder, with a silver teardrop in its beak.

"Can I name it, Mother, Father?"

"Not it, Hikari. It is like naming yourself. So choose carefully."

The twelve year old thought carefully and then answered. "I know, Mother. Since I am half of you and half of father brought together to be all me. Well then I am PheonixRain. Someone brand new."

"Perfect."

Over the next years Hikari and her parents moved around but often came back to the Boarding House where Sakura and Syaoran had stayed to raise their child after their marriage. But Hikari had kept to her small body, waiting for a day she knew would come. Tomoyo and Eriol thought it was kind of funny that their daughter seemed like anything but theirs physically. They looked almost like siblings when they all stood together, rather than parents and child, but no one minded. From time to time they would all change their own age, getting older or younger at will. And as time passed Hikari learned to love her parents not only as parents but as near equals, for no matter how new she was to the world, oddly the two still remained marginally more powerful than their daughter. And Hikari may never be as beautiful as her mother, but only her father would have noticed since neither thought they were even pretty. All in all their life passed peacefully and happily. Much like any other Immortal, which there are many of, more so than mortals ever begin to know.

And on the day of their twentieth anniversary they returned to the Boarding House to hold a party. Mistress welcomed them home with joy, since they had been gone more than they had been home in the past ten years.

"They didn't want to repay the favour and help us raise our child as we did theirs."

"Ha! Uncle Syaoran you didn't do anything to help raise me. You nearly got me killed more times than I can count."

"Ah but look. You grew up. Actually, no, you look like you haven't grown much at all since we last met. Why, let me see, thirteen?"

She grinned. "I have my reasons."

"You really are an idiot about some things, Syaoran." Sakura smiled at Hikari and winked. "He's in the other room."

The two sets of parents watched as Hikari ran into the next room. Tomoyo walked over to Sakura and whispered in her ear and Sakura nodded. Both giggled and knew that life might be a bit more interesting than it had been. And that they would be spending more time at the Boarding House. If Hikari permitted since she was old enough to live alone.

"Zhi Ye! I heard you got your symbol! What does your tattoo look like? Let me see."

The fourteen year old boy blushed. "If you want to see it, I have to take my shirt off."

"I've seen you naked before, this is hardly anything."

He sighed. "You know. You are like, seven years older than I am, Hikari. Why do you always look near my age when you come here?"

"I'll tell you in a minute. Now show me before I take your shirt off for you."

"Fine!" He unbuttoned it and slipped it down his arms until she could clearly see his upper right arm. Very similarly to his father there was a wolf crawling up his arm. But this time it was white and in its mouth there was a MoonStar.

"And what should I call you now?"

"Star Wolf. Now explain."

She smiled. "Because, Star Wolf, we are new in the world. Something that has never been seen. I think we should stick together."

"Good," he said. Then he leaned over to kiss her.

.


End file.
